Radio presenter Kai Jasper has been out in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens throughout January and February, speaking directly with the public about how the area can be made safer as a major regeneration project gets underway this March.
Working alongside local services, Kai, Unity Radio’s Primetime host has held weekly sessions on Wednesdays (3-7pm) and Fridays (4-8pm). His focus has been on hearing from young people about what activities and services they would most like to see in the space.
Piccadilly Gardens has long been identified as a hotspot for drug dealing and knife crime. The regeneration beginning next month presents an opportunity to reshape not just the physical environment, but how safe people feel using it.
By engaging directly with the young people who spend time there, the project aims to ensure their voices shape the changes – giving them genuine ownership over a space that is being redesigned with their safety and needs in mind.
If your a young person, aged 10 – 25, who has been affected by crime or violence in Central Manchester, reach out to Oasis Navigators who can help.
Image: KJ with Madd Manneh
