Artist impression of Horizon Youth Zone in Grimsby
The converted Grade II listed West Haven Maltings building in Grimsby town centre will be home to the purpose-built Horizon Youth Zone. The centre, due to open in 2024, will become a catalyst for future regeneration and investment in Grimsby and will help boost the aspirations of young people, including those who wish to pursue a career in offshore wind and renewable energy.
Our £1 million investment in Grimsby’s next generation
We are committed to leaving a legacy to the next generation in the local communities where we operate our offshore wind farms. Ørsted’s £14 million East Coast Hub in Grimsby is a dedicated operations and maintenance facility where we develop, construct, and operate world-leading offshore wind farm projects including Hornsea One and Hornsea Two. It has helped breathe new life into the dockside and has brought about long-term, highly skilled job opportunities and offshore wind apprenticeships in the local area.
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We are proud to be based in Grimsby and aim to continue to inspire and provide opportunities to young people while helping to generate long-term economic benefits in the local community. In addition to our £465,000 East Coast Community Fund, which provides grants to local groups and organisations in the region, we announced a £1 million investment to support thousands of young people through Horizon Youth Zone, part of the Grimsby Town Deal regeneration plan.
Over the next 5 years, Ørsted’s funding will contribute both to the construction of the youth zone, and its running costs once open. The facility will give young people a choice of over 20 activities to enjoy every day, including indoor climbing, sports, arts, drama, music, media, cooking and more. The funding will also support the Youth Zone’s Employability and Enterprise Programme, which will see specialist youth workers and partners help young people who are not in education, employment or training to gain the confidence, skills and experience they need for the future.
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Become an apprenticeHow we’re working with OnSide’s Horizon Youth Zone
YPDG members at RenewableUK’s Global Offshore Wind conference
Together with OnSide, we are working with the Horizon Youth Zone Young People’s Development Group (YPDG) to make their vision of a dedicated facility for young people a reality. The YPDG are a group of young people from Grimsby who are playing a key role in helping to shape and bring to life their town’s youth zone. They meet regularly, volunteering their time to provide input and share ideas with the OnSide team on many aspects of the project, including being vital in the name and brand of Horizon.
Over the past few months, we’ve carried out a range of activities with the YPDG, from team building exercises in Grimsby’s People’s Park, to providing the opportunity to build their skills and confidence by helping guide media around our new vessel, Wind of Hope. We look forward to developing further activities during the project construction phase and beyond the opening of Horizon.
In September 2021, we welcomed YPDG members, Erin and Harriet at RenewableUK’s Global Offshore Wind conference as part of their work experience with us. In the lead-up to the conference they learned about Ørsted and how we manage our participation at largescale events. At the conference itself, they were invited to meet a range of people and listen to conference sessions, building their understanding of the industry and their confidence.
In conversation with Horizon Youth Zone’s Young People’s Development Group
Hear from Erin and Harriet below as they explain how visiting the Global Offshore Wind Conference opened their eyes to the variety of careers in the offshore wind industry.
What aspect of your time at the conference left the greatest impression on you?
E: Talking to everyone from different companies and discovering all the different jobs in the industry was very interesting.
H: The huge amount of companies working to produce greener energy and help the environment.
Tell us about any new ideas or thoughts the conference has given you about your future and the world of work.
E: The conference has really enlightened me to how amazing the offshore wind industry is, to the point where I am considering possibly working in this industry in the future.
H: It really opened my eyes to the absolute variety of careers in the industry. I had initially discarded offshore wind as I thought most of the work was based in engineering. However, through the conference I learnt that there is so much more that goes on. For example, biodiversity managers who assess the ecological and environmental impacts; a career that I would be very interested in!
What did you find most challenging and why?
E: I think for me it was most challenging going around the conference and interviewing people because we were being filmed and speaking to some important people, so I was quite nervous.
H: I found the amount of people attending very overwhelming! The conference hall was full of different stands and thousands of people.
YPDG group members, Erin and Harriet interviewing Duncan Clark, Ørsted’s Head of Region UK, at the Global Offshore Wind conference
What did you find most rewarding and why?
E: I found it really rewarding to talk to people such as Dan McGrail, Duncan Clark and Melanie Onn. It was really nice to be able to speak to them, to hear their passion for the industry and they helped me gain more confidence in talking to other people at the conference.
H: Interviewing so many different people taught me loads about the industry, things I never would have thought about, for example emergency rescue and even toilets!
Grimsby is right at the heart of this industry. Coming out of the conference, what would you like young people in Grimsby to know?
E: Before coming to the conference, I didn’t understand how important Grimsby is and being at the conference made me very proud to come from Grimsby. I want all young people in the town to know about this so they can be proud of their town too. As well as this, I think that the offshore wind industry needs to be talked about more so that everyone knows what a bright future Grimsby has.
H: The future is in our hands now. It’s our responsibility to keep pushing ourselves, keep getting involved, and keep learning!
Is there anything you’d like Ørsted or the renewables industry to know or think about as the industry grows?
E: I think Ørsted are already doing a great job in engaging the community especially with their connections to Horizon Youth Zone, but I think that we need to work together to spread the word about how important Grimsby is to the offshore wind industry. Hopefully by spreading the word about the industry, everyone will feel the excitement that Ørsted already do for a bright future.
H: Keep encouraging new ideas and diversity!
