About Wings South West
Please click on the YouTube button on the right to watch our introductory video.
Wings South West is a youth-work based charity that has worked with hundreds of children and young people every year since its formation in October 2000. The charity started as a result of a group of young people wanting a place of safety and fun where they could meet with their friends away from the pressures of drugs and alcohol.
Eleven years later Wings operates from two centres in and around Bideford and employs 12 staff, had an income in 2010 of just under £400,000 and continues to work with young people from many different social, racial and religious backgrounds. Those who are most disadvantaged include those who are struggling at school or not in employment, education or training.
Giving all young people a future
Our overarching aim is to help give all young people a future and a hope by encouraging positive relationships and offering creative learning opportunities that develop skills, self-esteem and confidence – we focus on an individual’s needs and help them progress from where they are.
A wide range of activities
The Wings Hall in the middle of Bideford is just behind Tanton’s Hotel and houses the Cyber Café, community activities, dance groups and most recently ‘drop-ins’ for young parents and young people not in employment, education or training.
The second centre in Abbotsham is a very large barn that houses our substantial motor mechanics programme together with many other initiatives including construction and carpentry, conservation and multimedia. Wings also runs many other activities including football, cricket and surfing.
Our programmes start from where an individual’s interests lie and we work closely with local primary and secondary schools, specialist schools from across Torridge and North Devon, the Police, Churches, Health and Social Care organisations, Cared for Children as well as direct self-referrals from young people or from parents and grandparents.
A purpose-built centre
Our vision for a purpose-built youth, sport, enterprise and community centre started three years ago and having identified six potential sites in Bideford we began to focus on land owned by the former Grenville and Edgehill Colleges. We first contacted Redrow in October 2010 to explore a potential partnership with one of the UK’s leading house builders that has a growing reputation for also delivering community benefit within their projects and who had expressed an interest in purchasing the Moreton House Playing Fields.
The Wings’ proposal in creating a centre that will include excellent sports facilities, alternative curriculum provision, enterprises including catering and retail, community activities for children, young people and adults, a multi-purpose building for theatre/ cinema/ church together with a shop and a bistro has had early support from Devon County and a number of Torridge councillors and officers.
"... one of the most important learning and regenerational projects seen in 25 years of grant making"
Wings already has a quarter of the building costs ring-fenced by a leading national charity who stated that the proposal ‘is one of the most important learning and regenerational projects seen in 25 years of grant making’.
©2012 Meeting Place Communications
©2012 Meeting Place Communications
