Nottingham youth group relocates after funding cuts force move

Charity Base 51 have helped young people in the city for 30 years.
Charity Base 51 have helped young people in the city for 30 years.

A Nottingham charity supporting young people has moved to a smaller building due to funding cuts.

Base 51, which has been running for 30 years, had its council funding stopped in 2022.

It meant the charity could no longer stay at its previous home on Castle Gate.

The team has now moved to the new site on Peachy Street.

Base 51 head of fundraising and events Verity Woods, 34, said: “Its different obviously from what we have had before but all of our team have worked really hard to make it a welcoming space for young people.

“Nottingham City Council cut our funding in 2022 and it made it unsustainable to stay in the Castle Gate building so that’s why we had to move.

“We’d rather spend the money on young people than keeping the lights on in a building.”

The charity has also opted for a new style for the charity, Verity added: “We are going for a more cool, a more fresh looking graffiti vibe for the new place.”

Base 51 have promoted their new building on social media and in public in the city centre.

Verity said: “We have got all the social medias: Facebook, Insta, Tik Tok and then we have got our youth workers who have been out and about.”

The charity previously served 768 hot meals to young people between April and September 2023 through use of the kitchen in the old building, however they no longer have this.

Verity said: “We no longer have a big kitchen space like we did before, so the meals we will be providing will change slightly but its still going to be that you will get refreshments and some sort of food at the youth club because we know a lot of young people actually rely on that.”

Base 51 offers a range of services from counselling to film nights.

Verity said: “We have still got the youth club which is three nights a week and we have moved it now so its 4pm to 7pm so they can basically come straight after school.

“We have got a ping pong table, a pool table, a PlayStation 5, we do film nights, we got workshops, we have not got the actual recording studio that was downstairs, but we have a live lounge space that’s got loads of instruments as well.

“We have got the LGBTQIA+ group which is Tuesday to Wednesday, and we actually got funding for that so it is now open up to 21-year-olds.

“Then we have got counselling, our specialist trauma counselling so anyone experiencing violent crime, exploitation that’s still there and training academy providing courses in youth work and counselling.”