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Wigan Youth Zone’s Chairman Martin Ainscough has donated £1m of capital funding support to ‘inspire’ more young people as our town’s new Youth Zone moves closer to becoming a reality.

Martin grew Ainscough Crane Hire into the largest and most successful crane business in the United Kingdom, prior to its £255 million sale in 2007. He is also Chairman of the Ainscough Group of Companies.

As well as being an incredibly successful businessman, Martin has always given something back to the community that served him so well. In 2013, Martin, along with his cousin Bill, who made his success through the growth of his Wainhomes house-building empire and Dave Whelan, the former owner of Wigan Athletic FC, founded Wigan Youth Zone – a facility part of the growing network of OnSide Youth Zones.

Over the last three years, Wigan Youth Zone has gone from strength to strength. It now has over 5,000 members and up to 200 young people accessing the provision per evening.

Martin has seen the success of Wigan Youth Zone and wants Chorley’s young people to have the same opportunities.

Chairman of Wigan Youth Zone, Martin Ainscough, said: “I have experienced first-hand the overwhelming impact Wigan Youth Zone has had on the young people of the town. I know the town of Chorley very well and Inspire Youth Zone really will make a difference to their lives – as Wigan and the other OnSide Youth Zones have.”

Chorley Youth Zone Chairman Andrew Turner said: “We are hugely grateful to Martin for his incredible gesture in which the young people of Chorley will benefit from greatly. It is people like him, which will make this project a reality for Chorley’s young people who deserve the best.”

Planning permission for our Youth Zone was submitted in March with a successful decision expected in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned.

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MATTHEW HIRST

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.

Ryan powell

head of operations

Hi, I’m Ryan and I’m the Head of Operations at Inspire Youth Zone.

Email: ryan.powell@inspireyouthzone.org

Inspire Youth Zone