"How a Charitable Gift Created Real Impact for Local Young People"

At EnergyAce, we believe in putting our money where it counts. That’s why we support Wigan Youth Zone – and their latest impact report shows exactly how far that support goes. 

For every £1 donated, Wigan Youth Zone generates £15 in social value. That means our most recent £1,500 contribution generated around £22,500 of measurable benefits for the young people of Wigan and Leigh.  

Their work drives real outcomes for today’s youth, from employability to mental health, so it couldn’t be more important to the local area. 

WYZ Delivered Across All Three Strategic Priorities 

Wigan Youth Zone’s three-year strategy, Empowering the Next Generation (2024–27), set out to tackle head-on the complex challenges facing young people today. In just the first year, they’ve delivered across all three of their strategic goals: 

• Empowering Tomorrow by expanding access to services and support, with 5,164 members and 2,230 new joiners (+23%). 

• Elevating Engagement by boosting stakeholder collaboration, with 82 volunteers contributing nearly 9,000 hours and 150 organisations now involved. 

• Securing Sustainability by increasing total income by 31% year-on-year to £2.04 million, helping stabilise delivery long-term. 

The Lives Impacted Behind the Stats 

More than 5,000 young people walked through Wigan Youth Zone’s doors last year, and over a third of them came from the borough’s most deprived wards. Thankfully, money wasn’t a barrier: over 1,200 of those memberships were free, and 15,000 hot meals meant nobody went hungry while they were on site. 

Youth workers didn’t just wait for teenagers to turn up, either. They took support to the streets, engaging nearly 1,700 young people where they already gather. 

Most telling of all, a core group of 377 kept coming back at least ten times in just three months. They left reporting calmer heads, stronger friendships, and a real boost in confidence, proof that the programme has a lasting effect on their lives. 

Local Impact That Aligns With Our Values 

As a business rooted in Wigan’s local area, we care deeply about the health of our communities and the future talent pipeline that sustains them. Initiatives like this reduce youth vulnerability, improve educational and employment outcomes, and give the next generation the tools to thrive. 

The charity’s results show a real return on investment. For us, it confirms we’re backing the right partner: one delivering long-term, measurable change for our local area. 

See the Results for Yourself 

If you want to see what this kind of impact looks like in detail, we’d highly recommend reading the full 2024/25 Impact Report. You can find it here: 

https://www.wiganyouthzone.org/annual-report/