2022 saw us hit a significant milestone, as work finally started on the refurbishment of Bristol’s Old Magistrates Courts. Having lain derelict for many years before Creative Youth Network acquired the building, by 2024 the Courts will have become an innovative Creative Enterprise Hub. It will bring together creative sector organisations with talented but under-represented young people, who just need fair chances to begin their careers in the sector. The project is only underway thanks to some generous funding.
We're incredibly grateful to have the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund which has provided an incredible grant to enable the transformation.
Their support has allowed us to keep our Youth Advisory Board at the center of the project, all of whom are young people aspiring to be in the creative industries or cultural sector but facing barriers or lacking representation. The Youth Advisory Board works alongside the professional team (project managers, architects, surveyors, and so on) and has a key role in making informed decisions on all aspects of the project. This includes how the building and its community of tenants and users will provide progression routes for young people into creative sector careers.