The story

There are thousands of young people in Milton Keynes who have nowhere to go.

Not because there is nothing on. Because what is on was not built for them or costs too much. Some Youth clubs that are too loud, too crowded and too unpredictable. Sports sessions that assume you can follow shouted instructions. Drop-ins where the first thing you are asked to do is walk into a room full of strangers. For an autistic 14 year old, an ADHD 17 year old or a 21 year old who has been out of education for two years, those spaces might as well have a sign on the door saying not for you.

The Yard MK changes that.

It is a youth zone for 11 to 25 year olds at Xscape in the centre of Milton Keynes, designed from the ground up by and for neurodivergent young people (and us parents), and open to everyone. Quiet rooms alongside loud ones. Sensory spaces next to the gaming wall. A kitchen, a music room, a place to just sit. Staff who understand that a meltdown is not bad behaviour and that a young person who has stopped talking has not stopped listening. Somewhere you can turn up as yourself and leave feeling more like yourself, not less.

Over the past few months we have run co-design workshops with young people and their families across MK, and their ideas are in every corner of the plan. One young man told us he had never once been to a youth club because he could not cope with the noise at the door. That door is the first thing we are getting right.

Why now

We have been offered a building at Xscape on terms that make this possible: a year of free rent, on the condition that we open seven days a week and keep the lights on. That is an extraordinary offer and it comes with a clock attached. We have to be open, staffed and safe from day one.

The Yard MK is a partnership between NeuroAdvantage CIC, a specialist post-16 provider for neurodivergent young people, and The Spectrum Place Hub, a registered charity (number 1211954) already working with autistic and neurodivergent families from Xscape. Between us we have the expertise, the track record and the space. What we do not yet have is the money to turn an empty unit into somewhere young people want to be.

That is where you come in.

What your money does

Every pound raised here goes into fitting out and opening the space. Nothing goes to overheads, consultants or salaries.

What Cost

Sensory and quiet rooms: lighting, soft furnishings, acoustic panels £6,000

Kitchen and café area for cooking sessions and free hot food £5,000

Music, gaming and creative kit £5,000

Furniture, flooring and making the space safe and welcoming £6,000 (we've been given alot, so this number is coming down slowly)

Opening staffing, safeguarding training, first events £15000- this would carry us through to when our first grants are coming in.

Total £[25,000]

If we pass our target, the stretch fund pays for a full-time youth worker for the first six months, so we can open every evening and every weekend rather than just some of them.

Why this matters

Milton Keynes has 11,782 children living in relative poverty. Rates of school exclusion, mental ill health and youth loneliness are all higher for neurodivergent and disabled young people than for their peers. The 16 to 25 years, when most young people are finding their feet, are the years when too many of ours are falling through the gaps between school, college and adult services, with nowhere to land.

A youth zone will not fix all of that. But we know from every piece of research and every conversation with a parent that one safe place with one trusted adult changes the trajectory of a young life. That is what The Yard MK is for.

Who we are

Ellie Miles founded The Spectrum Place Hub and has spent years building a community of neurodivergent families in Milton Keynes. Anna Day FRSA MCIOF founded NeuroAdvantage CIC, has led four charities as chief executive and has raised over £24 million for causes across the UK. Both of us are parents of neurodivergent children. We are building the place we wish had existed for them.

Be part of the founding story

The first 100 people to give £100 or more become our Founding 100. Your name goes on the wall at The Yard MK, you are invited to our opening, and you will always be able to say you were there before the doors opened.

Whatever you can give, give it today. Then share this page with one person who will understand why it matters.

Thank you.

Rewards

£10: Yard Supporter A thank you card and a free youth session for your young person when we open.

£25: Yard Friend The above plus a digital opening-day photo pack and your name on our online supporters page. Come along to one of inclusive movie and chill nights on the house!

£50: Yard Builder The above plus a Yard MK sticker pack and an invitation to the launch party!

£100: Founding 100 Your name on the founders' wall inside The Yard MK, an invitation to the launch, and a limited edition Founding 100 print. Only 100 available. Invitation to the launch party and a six month membership for your child to attend up to two sessions a week free!

£250: Room Sponsor Everything in Founding 100 plus a named plaque in one of our rooms and a tour with the team. Annual membership to activities schedule, your young person can come to scheduled activities as much as they like (additional fees for trips, food and snacks apply)

£500: Session Sponsor Fund a term of a named weekly session (cooking, music, gaming, quiet club). Your name or company on that session for a full term and a report on what it delivered.

£1,000: Opening Partner Recognition as an Opening Partner on the website, on the founders' wall and at the launch, a private tour, and the chance to meet the young people and staff.

£2,500: Corporate Founding Partner For businesses. Everything above plus your logo on the building signage for the first year, a staff volunteering day at The Yard, and a case study you can share.

£5000 or more- if you'd like to donate £5000 or more please speak to us and we will put together a custom celebration package and CSR package for you!

Gift Aid note for the page

Donations through this page are made to The Spectrum Place Hub, registered charity number 1211954, so UK taxpayers can add Gift Aid and make every £10 worth £12.50 at no cost to you.