Who are we?

We are Bek Breslaw and Izzy Bianchini Directors of PZN Youth CIC, a Community Interest Company committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for the young people of Penzance and Newlyn. We offer open door and targeted youth club nights, holiday activities and trips for 11-17 year olds. Activities, food and entry are all free and we provide a warm,welcoming and inspiring environment where there is always healthy food and creative activities on offer.

However, the demand for these services has outgrown our current space.

That’s why we secured an agreement with Cornwall Council for them to sell us the building for £120,000 and applied to Community Levelling Up for the funds. We felt that we had a really strong case and the public support was overwhelming, but unfortunately we got the news that we had been unsuccessful. The funders were clear that our project had not been rejected, and they wanted to recognise the good work that we do, but our project was not given the highest priority.

Our funding request

We now have a time limited opportunity to purchase the building we currently lease from Cornwall Council. Following our unsuccessful bid to secure Levelling Up funding, the council has given us until the end of June to raise £120,000 in order to buy the building. If we fail to meet this target, we risk losing the chance to secure it and the council have said that they cannot guarantee a similar offer will be accepted in the future.

Owning this building will allow us to apply for additional funding to renovate and expand the space, which is currently too small for the growing demand. With your help, we can provide a safe, supportive, and inspiring space for young people in our community.

Every donation helps — please support us before it’s too late!

What is the demand for a youth centre such as ours?

PZN Youth offers the only open access youth provision in the area. This means that young people can drop in to our sessions without having to join, pay or book. We are currently seeing approx 80 young people per week and on a friday evening our 3 sessions are attended by up to 50 young people over the course of the evening. There are times when the building is at capacity and we have to turn young people away.

What our young people say

“I can be with my friends and be safe… in a building where there are lots of people.”

“There’s stuff to do and you feed people healthy food, not just junk food.”

“I can talk to my friends and the adults too. It’s a place where I can open up.”

“I’d be on my PlayStation if I wasn’t here… I’ve met new people and friends… A new social… My old social was a bit worse. I didn’t have many friends and now I have enough.”

Why do PZN Youth feel so strongly about securing the building ?

We feel strongly that young people need and deserve a safe space to go to which is not school or home and where there are trusted adults who can offer support, guidance and opportunities to the next generation.

We believe that it takes a village to raise a child, and have had feedback from parents, carers, schools and mental health services about the benefits of our provision. A clinical Psychologist from the local NHS team said

" While clinical services help, I often notice that organisations like PZN Youth have the most impact. They provide safe, fun, regular opportunities for young people to connect—experiences that research shows can have lifelong effects on mental health and resilience. PZN Youth delivers that, and we must ensure they can continue to grow and support the young people who rely on them."

Who are our current funders?

We are always applying for funding so that we can continue to provide for our young people. We currently have a service level agreement with our Town Council who provide us with £20,000 per year towards our core costs.

Within the last year we have also been funded by The National Lottery, Children in Need, Time2Move, Cornwall Community Foundation, The Allen Lane Foundation, The KFC Foundation, Good Growth Cornwall, The Madron War Memorial Society, St Aubyn Foundation, Livewest, South West Arts Society and The International women’s day cabaret

Why do we want to buy the building?

As it stands, we are on a ‘full repairing’ lease. This means that we pay rent and are responsible for any repairs the building needs. The cost of this eats into our precious funds and with the building in need of modernisation it is unknown what the ongoing maintenance costs will be.

Put simply, we cannot afford to operate long-term under this arrangement.

What is the benefit of owning the building ?

If we own the building we can free up the funds we currently pay in rent and use these funds to cover maintenance.

Ownership will also put us in a very good position to apply for funding to extend and renovate the building. We are currently working with architects ( through separate funding ) to redesign the building, with ideas to extend into the outside space so that we can cope with the growing demand. The architects are due to start working with the young people to design the facility they deserve and will get the application ready to be submitted for planning approval.

Ownership of the building will give our organisation security to continue doing its vital work. The building would be secured as a youth venue for the young people of Penzance and Newlyn in perpetuity.

What happens if we do not raise the funds to buy the building ?

If we are not able to buy the building, our future is uncertain. We will not be able to grow as an organisation and offer support to all the young people who wish to attend our sessions. We face turning young people away at the door when we are full.

The reality of this is that young people won't have a space to go, they are at risk of being vulnerable on the streets, or isolated at home on their phones.

Please donate what you can and /or share our story to anyone you think may be able to help.

Huge gratitude from all at PZN Youth