PC Channel Islands

Unveiling St James Youth Centre

St James Youth Centre, St. Helier, Jersey
Written by Roma Publications

St James Youth Centre, St. Helier, Jersey

An exciting new centre has been completed in St. Helier, Jersey for young people.

The centre – which is housed within a specially converted heritage site in St. Helier – is the new base of operations for Jersey Youth Service and boasts a range of features, from a performance space to a range of counselling service. Meanwhile, a former school – which is located on the site – has become home to the Prince’s Trust and the Duke of Edinburgh Award schemes.

The project reached completion in February 2015 and was followed by an official opening which took place on 4th March. The centre’s official opening was attended by HRH The Princess Royal.

Speaking to Premier Construction, Principle Youth Officer of the Jersey Youth Centre, Mark Capern said:

“It was fantastic to have HRH The Princess Royal join us to open our new centre. She spent time meeting with staff and more importantly, lots of the young people who are involved in the project.”

Mark added:

“The project is a flagship for youth arts across the whole of the UK.”

St James Youth Centre, St. Helier, Jersey

The new centre is packed with fantastic features, with a highlight being an incredible performance space, specifically designed to cater for dance and drama groups. The space provides youngsters with a way to express themselves, whilst at the same time encourages some very imaginative performances.

A purpose-built radio station has been introduced, along with a number of new rehearsal rooms which are sound-proof and recording rooms, a studio and video editing equipment. Additional programmes have been initiated by the youth arts project to operate.

Information and advice are available from the building in addition to the counselling project for young people aged between 14-25 years. There is also a general drop in room, three counselling rooms and an office for staff.

The Islands Youth Office HQ is situated upstairs, where members of staff have suitable office space which is a fresh environment. This means that the management team members are all in one location, leading to a more efficient service.

Mark, said:

“The church, school and vicarage are all fantastic looking buildings so it was a great opportunity for us to introduce a modern element into the site, whilst at the same time maintaining the heritage and character that the buildings offered.”

St James Youth Centre, St. Helier, Jersey

Offering copious amount of space, the vicarage consists of two floors, with five offices, a waiting area, toilet facilities and a brand new reception area on the first floor. Meanwhile, the ground floor has room for an office, three counselling rooms, a large drop-in room and a meeting room which can comfortably fit 15 people.

Barry Freeman (Principle Architect) and Jon English (Senior Architectural Assistant) from Jersey Property Holdings Architectural Design Team provided architectural services on the project, working alongside Bruce Robinson, Martin Le Guilliou and John Le Noa of main contractor Larsen Ltd.

About the author

Roma Publications