About Us
Livewire Youth Project is a unique multi-faceted charity that combines professional traditional youth work practice/activities with music-making and mental health support, aimed at helping young people aged 10 to 21 navigate their journey through adolescence into adulthood.
Whilst many young people attend Livewire due to their passion for music and the opportunity to pursue their musical ambitions with access to state-of-the-art facilities and a wide range of free lessons, others come seeking friendship and socialisation. A great many also seek to overcome personal challenges such as anxiety, lack of confidence, and low self-esteem in a safe and welcoming environment.
If you know a young person aged between 10 and 21 who’s asking, ‘Are there any youth clubs near me? How do I go about forming a band? Is there someone I can talk to?’, we offer it all, with much more going on than just making live music.
BASED ON THE BANK OF RIVER TAMAR...
Beneath the stunning twin bridges in Saltash, Cornwall, in a safe, fun and supportive environment, we are committed to helping young people face and conquer their challenges, regardless of the obstacles they encounter in their lives. With thirty plus years of experience, we effectively enable them to reach their potential, both musically, socially and personally. Our ultimate aim is to change young lives and foster productive engagement through music and traditional youth work activities, helping young people become confident, active members of their communities while developing resilience to navigate life’s challenges.
Music
We teach them to play music on instruments like guitar (acoustic, electric, bass), drums, keyboard piano, and for those who prefer a mic in their hand, there are vocal lessons. If their interest is on the technical side, we’ll also teach them professional studio mixing, live sound mixing and that vital backstage know-how, including stage lighting and even mixing and recording in our world-class recording studio provided by Pete Townshend of The Who.
Health and Wellbeing
Since 2018, Livewire has had a mental health team, staffed by qualified volunteer counsellors, complemented by student counsellors on placement who are in their final year of training.
The Venue
Did we mention we also have a 200-person capacity live music venue as well, hosting prestigious events like ‘Metal to the Masses’ heats and occasional all age gigs, such as Stiff Little Fingers; The Damned; Phil Campbell (Motorhead); Enter Shikari and others but the main purpose is giving every young person the chance to practice performance skills and perform in public and simply learn how to use a professional stage.
Our young members regularly meet musicians here – all inspirational and sometimes, world-famous. In every case, we’re literally changing young people’s lives for the better.
Livewire is run by professionals and Enhanced DBS vetted volunteers, and if you’re wondering what this incredible spectrum of services costs you, it’s nothing. For our incorporated youth club, which is open most evenings, we ask for an entry fee of £1 for each entry.
history
At the end of the Second World War the Reverend W H Prior of St Nicholas and St Faith Church, Saltash, was probation officer for this area, and he became conscious of the increasing number of juveniles being placed under his control, especially from the lower end of the town.
Lots of lads lost dads, grandads, uncles, in the war, and were prone to running amok around the waterside area. The old Mission Hall had not been used for regular worship since 1941, and the Parochial Church Council leased the building to him for a payment of one shilling (5p) per annum.
Thus began the Waterside Boys Club, later to be known as the Saltash Boys Club and eventually to become the Livewire Youth Project. Harry Taylor was appointed leader, and stayed with the Club until his death more than 25 years later.
Over the years Livewire has adapted to meet different needs, all the way up to being a music venue, as it is today. Following the sad loss of a member of the project in 2018, Livewire started to provide mental health counselling, which has grown in need and capacity over the years since.
Andy Rance became a volunteer at Livewire in 1990 and has been running it since 1997.
Livewire uniquely blends youth work, music-based activities, and mental health and wellbeing services, offering a holistic approach to supporting young people.