Wigan Youth Zone has announced the appointment of Gary Speakman as the new Chair of its Board of Trustees, from 1st April 2022, taking the reigns of the charity from Richard Ainscough who was in post for a three-year term.
Richard, who has been personally connected to the charity since its conception, has been the driver of great change within the charity over the past three years, overseeing a revamp of the charity’s Board, navigating the charity through the pandemic, personally raising funds in excess of £1m and ensuring that the facility continues to be meaningful and relevant to young people by encouraging active investment into the facility and infrastructure.
Gary has been involved with Wigan Youth Zone from day one as an active supporter and joined the Board three years ago. He is a well-known local businessman and an experienced current Chair of a wide range of Wigan-based organisations across education, arts, culture and sport.
Richard Ainscough said:
“Wigan Youth Zone has not missed a beat for the young people of Wigan and Leigh since opening in 2013. I have been humbled by the energy, drive and determination of our diverse trustee and staff team to do whatever was needed to be there for the young people when they have needed us most. The achievements would be too many to list, but some highlights for me have been the incredible partnerships that have developed across the borough, receiving national recognition for our exceptional youth work and seeing first-hand the tangible impact we have on the thousands of young people that engage with the Youth Zone every week.
I can look back with a lot of pride on the work we have accomplished together and feel safe in the knowledge that I am leaving the charity in great shape and in the very safe hands of our new Chair, Gary Speakman, the board of trustees and the management team. They have the privilege of writing the next chapter of Wigan Youth Zone.“
Gary commented:
“I am very proud of my home town of Wigan and am passionate about the importance of providing opportunities for the growth and development of young people across Wigan and Leigh. So, it is both an honour and privilege to have been voted as Chair of this fabulous charity by my fellow trustees. In succeeding Richard, and Martin Ainscough before him, I also recognise that I have very tough acts to follow!
Executive Director of Wigan Youth Zone, Anthony Ashworth-Steen said:
“This is a bitter-sweet moment for Wigan Youth Zone in that we are both losing and gaining excellent Chairs.
Over the past three years, Richard has overseen some great changes for the organisation to enable us to support as many young people across the borough as possible. He simultaneously created a culture of empowerment for those around him whilst ensuring accountability and diligence – not an easy combination to get right, but something he did exceptionally well. In times of challenge, Richard was there, shoulder to shoulder with the other trustees and management team to ensure we prevailed – the widely acclaimed success of the Youth Zone through the pandemic, as an example, is in no small part down to Richard’s leadership.”
Through the support of the charity’s dedicated Board of Trustees, Wigan Youth Zone will continue to give back to the wider Wigan and Leigh communities. The benefit that the Youth Zone has on the communities of Wigan and Leigh is significant with a social impact rating of 2.17 – or in other words, every £1 invested in the charity returns an impact on the community of £2.17. To support the work of Wigan Youth Zone please visit https://www.wiganyouthzone.org/donate/.