In an inspirational new venture, Gloucestershire charity, The Music Works, is officially building its brand-new, state-of-the-art music hub in the town of Cinderford.
Promising to be 'more than a music studio', the community space will provide opportunities for young people in and around the Forest of Dean to access cutting-edge music technology and participate in musical activities, workshops and open mic sessions — something it has already been successfully delivering since 2021 at its centre in Gloucester.
Manon Molyneux, studio engineer at The Music Works, said: 'As a Forester myself, I’m most excited to see more young people having access to an incredible space that can be life-changing for them.
'I’m also looking forward to seeing the growth of the Forest of Dean’s music scene and having a space to hold community events, make music and meet new people!'
The space is being created through renovation of a former HSBC bank located in the centre of Cinderford and alongside the music equipment, there will also be an installation of a changing places toilet, a sensory music room and an outdoor performance space.
Aiming to engage 600 young people in the area per year, the hub is being funded through generous donations collected by The Music Works, totalling £900,000.
With sights set on an opening in the spring of 2024, Molyneux continued: 'Having the new hub in the Forest of Dean is going to be a game changer for the community, as isolation is a big problem, I really hope that we provide the young people with their own space to take ownership of and make theirs!”
Allowing community members to have a proper say in the development, the charity has launched a survey with multiple questions to gauge the variety of ages, genre interests and what people are hoping to achieve through the new centre.
The survey is available to complete via The Music Works website.
