A new temporary youth hub is set to open in Solihull town centre this summer, offering young people a safe space to take part in free activities and workshops during the school holidays.

The initiative will see two empty units in Mell Square transformed into a youth hub for 13 to 17-year-olds, with a programme of activities designed to encourage creativity, confidence and positive engagement.

The project is being delivered through a partnership between Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC), Mell Square and five local youth organisations, with the former Taste Collective and Space@Mell Square units becoming a base for the summer programme.

Young people will be able to take part in a range of free sessions, including gaming, beauty and enterprise workshops, football, boxing, DJ sessions, mentoring, wellbeing activities, creative projects, coding and game development.

The scheme has been launched in response to concerns around antisocial behaviour in Solihull town centre, with specialist youth workers also carrying out outreach work to build relationships with young people and encourage them to get involved.

The summer programme will be delivered by local organisations including Strike9T CIC, Ordinary Magic, The Gaia Roots Foundation CIC, Solihull Moors Foundation and Robocode, each bringing their own expertise to support and engage young people.

Cllr Wazma Qais, SMBC's cabinet member for communities, said: "We know that there are concerns about antisocial behaviour in our town centre and the Council is fully committed to addressing this issue.

"We are already taking action, as this project clearly demonstrates.

"Early intervention and meaningful engagement are key to addressing the root causes of antisocial behaviour, so we are delighted to be working with these fantastic organisations to create new opportunities for young people this summer."

Cllr Karen Grinsell, Leader of SMBC, added: "By providing a safe and welcoming space, we hope to encourage young people to try something new and develop new skills while giving them access to trusted adults, mentoring and support.

"Through the combination of engagement activities and targeted outreach work, we hope the initiative will be a real success and a step in the right direction to addressing the antisocial behaviour we have seen."

The youth hub will run throughout the summer holidays, with activities taking place on selected dates from Monday 20 July until the end of August.

Young people and families can find programme updates by following Mell Square on Facebook and Instagram.