Charity reveals plans to create new city centre safe space

Specialist child exploitation charity Safe and Sound is forging ahead with plans to create a ‘safe place’ in Derby city centre for young people and families.

The charity has secured the purchase of 8 Bold Lane, a former restaurant in the Cathedral Quarter, which will enable its specialist team to provide a broader range of services.

The charity will also make space available for other charities and organisations to deliver their services.

Safe and Sound works with children as young as seven, young people and their families across Derbyshire whose lives have been affected by child exploitation including online grooming, sexual exploitation, County Lines, trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation.

The charity is currently based in rented offices in Darley Abbey and rents further space for activity and therapy work.

Thanks to £250,000 funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Community Ownership Fund, plans are now being drawn up for the restoration and refurbishment work required to make the three-storey building fit for purpose.

Work is due to start imminently and take around six months to complete. It is hoped that the new location will open in early 2025.

The vision is to provide safe and welcoming ground-floor space for a community hub and a wide range of activities delivered by both Safe and Sound and other youth and family-focused organisations including YMCA Derbyshire, Derby County Community Trust and Umbrella.

The flexibility of the space will enable activities and therapies to be expanded, ranging from arts and crafts and music to drama and sport.

The other two floors will include space for one-to-one and group support, meetings and workshops, as well as office accommodation for Safe and Sound’s team and volunteers who are based there.

Fundraising for equipment and specialist facilities will continue under the charity’s Butterfly Appeal banner with the first donations secured, including the donation of office equipment from Geldards and a £4,299 grant from Toyota Manufacturing UK to pay for youth activities equipment at the centre.

Mark Richardson, chair of Safe and Sound – and director at BB&J Commercial, has been working with fellow trustees, the charity’s chief executive Tracy Harrison and key partners in the city to bring the vision to reality.

He said: “We have outgrown our rented offices in Darley Abbey Mills and there has always been a desire to have city centre premises to provide a safe and welcoming space for the young people and families that our specialist team supports.

“I am delighted that we have found the premises that will be the long-term home for everyone who works at and is supported by Safe and Sound, as well as providing much needed accessible space for other organisations supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our local communities.”

Tracy said: “Referrals for our services have doubled since the pandemic – reflecting the reality that any child, anywhere – regardless of their age, sex or family background – is at risk of child exploitation.

“However, we have been constricted by having to rent premises not only for our team but to provide an expanding programme of activities, support and therapies which are so vital to help young people and their families affected by exploitation to move forward with their lives.

“The Bold Lane premises will be an amazing community asset that will increase our impact by providing a centrally located safe and welcoming space for children and young people who are at risk of exploitation as well as their families.”

Among the organisation who assisted Safe and Sound in securing the Bold Lane premises was Marketing Derby (BH).

Amy Burton, inward investment executive at Marketing Derby, said: “We were delighted to support Safe and Sound with their move into the city centre.

“We look forward to seeing this empty building activated and in use again. This brilliant charity has chosen a great central location and will be in even better company in the city’s Cathedral Quarter.”