We’d love to show you around a local Youth Zone, allowing you to see for yourself the impact that these centres make. Simply fill in your details below and a member of the team will be in touch to arrange a visit.
Take a Virtual TourYorkshire’s first Youth Zone, and the first of three OnSide Youth Zones scheduled to open in 2026, opened its doors on Saturday, welcoming over 2000 young people and their families to celebrate!
The day began with the staff team, Founder Patrons and funders including ASOS, local dignitaries including Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth and Barnsley South MP Stephanie Peacock, and the Young People’s Development Group (YPDG) gathering to cut the official ribbon and declare the Youth Zone officially open.
Then it was over to the young people and their families for a day of showcasing the state-of-the-art facilities now open to Barnsley’s young people. From sessions on the new climbing wall, to making music in the music room and recording studio, to getting creative with arts and crafts and the dance and drama studio.
The celebration included food and live entertainment before finishing at 3pm, with the Youth Zone’s seven-day-a-week programme kicking off.
The Youth Zone already has over 3,700 members signed up, with membership costing £5 per year and 50p per visit. Barnsley Council has generously offered to fund the annual membership cost for under 18s living in a Barnsley postcode who become members before March 2026. Membership costs £5 per year and young people then pay 50 each visit.
The Youth Zone will host junior sessions on Monday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings, with senior sessions taking place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Inclusion sessions will also be available on Sunday mornings.
CEO Mandy Carlson said: “After years of planning and countless hours of hard work by our team, we are thrilled to finally open our doors to the young people of Barnsley. We have already exceeded our initial membership and visitor targets throughout our soft launch phase, which clearly demonstrates the demand for Base71 within our community. We are incredibly grateful to all of our supporters and funders, including Barnsley Council and ASOS. Without their commitment, this valuable new asset for the borough would not have been possible.”
To sign up and join the fun, visit https://www.base71youthzone.org/become-a-member/
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