Manchester, November 2024 – Developers Muse and Assura plc have been named as the newest patron donors to Salford Youth Zone (SYZ), the new Empower Youth Zone set to open in the summer of 2025.
As part of the four-year partnerships, both Muse and Assura have each pledged to donate £100,000 to support the development of SYZ. They join the growing Empower patron community driving the greater impact for the children and young people of Manchester and Salford.
On track to open next summer, SYZ will support thousands of young people across the city. It will be the latest Empower Youth Zone to open in Greater Manchester, following the success of HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton which opened in 2020 and supports young people from communities in East Manchester.
Placemaker Muse, has 40 years of experience working in partnership to create mixed-use regeneration across the UK. As the latest patron donors to join Empower, Muse will work with the youth zone to consult with young people on what they want to see from the developments in Salford and provide opportunities to offer skills and training to young people in the built environment. Muse’s North West team has led on significant projects across Greater Manchester including Crescent Salford, nearby to where SYZ will be based.
Assura also adds to SYZ’s roster of developer patrons as the UK’s leading specialist healthcare property investor and developer, with a portfolio of over 600 GP surgeries and healthcare buildings, from which over six million patients are served. Assura is committed to supporting the communities its properties are part of and its partnership with SYZ is the latest of its commitments to communities across Greater Manchester, where the company relocated its headquarters to last year.
The news follows a slew of recent patron announcements for SYZ, including the likes of Salix Homes and Fletchers Engineering, that alongside Muse and Assura, will be fundamental to supporting the development and maintenance of both SYZ and HideOut.
As well as providing a place for young people in Salford to learn new hobbies and develop new skills, SYZ will create 70 new roles, providing opportunities to the wider Salford community.
Adam Farricker, CEO of Empower youth zones commented: “Having two significant developers that have created transformative regeneration projects across Greater Manchester on board to support SYZ is brilliant. Both care about the social impact that their work has, aligning with our mission to give all young people across Salford access to a Youth Zone. The impact that SYZ will have on the community will be significant, and only possible with the support of our patrons.”
Phil Marsden, Managing Director at Muse North West added: “Part of our integration with the Greater Manchester community is about ensuring that our work and our relationships have a positive social impact so we’re thrilled to be working with SYZ. As patrons, we’ll be engaged with local young people to ensure that they are at the heart of the local community. The success that Empower has already generated with HideOut in Gorton is remarkable, so we’re proud to be involved in the charity’s newest opening in 2025.”
Jonathan Murphy, CEO at Assura plc said: “As the first FTSE 250 company to achieve B Corp certification, we are dedicated to making a genuine social impact in the communities we serve. Pledging our support to SYZ is part of this commitment and we’re confident the new opening will have positive impact on improving Greater Manchester’s overall health and wellbeing which we know, starts in local communities.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Press contact:
Alesha Sinclair, MC2
About Empower Youth Zones:
Empower Youth Zones are purpose-built spaces fizzing with energy and crammed with incredible facilities. These youth centres, called Youth Zones, provide local young people aged between eight and 19, or up to 25 with a disability, affordable access to high-quality sports, arts and leisure facilities and activities, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. They are staffed by skilled and dedicated youth workers who truly believe in young people – helping them see what they could achieve, and giving them the skills, confidence and ambition to go for it.
About Assura plc
Assura plc is the UK’s leading diversified healthcare real estate investment trust (REIT). As a property investor and developer, Assura enables better health outcomes through its portfolio of more than 600 healthcare buildings, from which over six million patients are served.
As the first FTSE 250 certified B Corp, Assura is committed to keeping ESG at the heart of its strategy, creating Healthy Environments (E) and Healthy Communities (S) and maintaining a Healthy Business (G).
Further information is available at www.assuraplc.com
Muse – the nationwide placemaker
The nationwide placemaker, Muse, has 40 years of experience creating mixed-use communities across the UK.
Our track record of leading complex, mixed-use regeneration gives us the experience to deliver successful places, with the emphasis on sustainability, community and quality. We’re working with partners in 38 places across the UK from Bradford to Brentford, and Salford to Lewisham, with more than 2000 new homes and over 600,000 sq ft of commercial space under construction over the past 12 months, with a gross development value of £877m.
We combine local insight with the resources and capabilities of a nationwide organisation. Our regional teams are based in Manchester, Leeds, London and Birmingham.
As part of Morgan Sindall Group, we have the financial strength of a leading UK construction and regeneration group with an annual revenue of £2.2bn
Our focus is on strong partnerships in the many places we work across the UK and our national strategic joint ventures, ECF – with Legal & General and Homes England – and Waterside Places with the Canal & River Trust.
We’re building a brighter future, together.
