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‘Ey Up Lancashire!
Every young person deserves the chance to thrive. No matter where they’re from. No matter what they’re facing.
That belief sits at the heart of Inspire Youth Zone – and it’s the reason we’re proud to be coming together with Blackburn with Darwen Youth Zone and Vault Youth Zone (Preston) under one shared banner:
Lancashire Youth Zones
This isn’t about logos or labels. It’s about young people.
Why?
Across Lancashire, young people are feeling the pressure more than ever. Isolation. Anxiety. Rising mental health needs. Families stretched to breaking point.
At Inspire, we see it every day. So do our fellow Youth Zones.
By uniting as Lancashire Youth Zones, we’re choosing to stand shoulder to shoulder, sharing knowledge, experience and strength so we can reach more young people, respond faster to need, and create even more opportunities for young people to feel safe, supported and believed in.
Each Youth Zone remains rooted in its local community.
But together, we can go further.
Our first collective step: The Big Give
Our first campaign as Lancashire Youth Zones shows exactly why this matters.
Together, we reached our Big Give target, raising £61,200 to support young people across Lancashire through the winter months.
That funding means:
Safe, welcoming spaces young people can rely on
Trusted youth workers who listen, care and never judge
Support for mental wellbeing when it’s needed most
This wasn’t just a fundraising win.
It was a statement of belief – in youth work, in community and in what’s possible when we work together.
What’s Next…
The Big Give is just the beginning.
Lancashire Youth Zones will continue to work collaboratively to:
Level the playing field for young people across the county
Strengthen support for mental health and wellbeing
Create new opportunities, experiences and pathways for the future
To every supporter who donated, shared, encouraged or believed in this first step – thank you.
You’re helping ensure young people across Lancashire don’t just get through today, but can believe in tomorrow.
© Copyright 2021 Inspire Youth Zone. Registered Charity Number 1167309. Registered Company Number 09972518. Website by ATTAIN.
Matt Hirst is the CEO of leading energy technology provider ESG with over 700 staff and operations in the USA, Canada and the UK. ESG’s UK headquarters are based in Chorley, Lancashire.
ESG empowers global leaders in energy to deliver on the future promise of energy through its SAAS solutions for Customer and Market Data Management and Smart Metering. Matt has a background in Sales and Marketing and led a MBO of UK company Utiligroup in 2014 before it was acquired by ESG in 2017 and has been with the business for 24 years. Matt won an EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2016 as well as being a judge in 2018 and in 2017 his team was awarded the UK Regional and National Mid Market Management Team of the Year awards by the BVCA. Matt holds a BSc (Hons) degree from The University of Salford and a MBA from Lancaster University.
Hi, I’m Ryan and I’m the Head of Operations at Inspire Youth Zone.
Email: ryan.powell@inspireyouthzone.org