Deputy PM opens new Sutton Life Centre
A new £8m 'leisure and learning' centre, which aims to teach young people about citizenship, has been opened in Sutton, south London.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg attended the launch of the Sutton Life Centre, which includes one of the largest climbing walls in the UK - 20m x 10m - and sports courts. London-based Curl la Tourelle Architects and Land Design Studio were behind the design of the new facility, which also includes a Life Skills Zone.
The zone comprises an indoor street in the style of a movie set and a multi-media studio, including 360-degree screen projections to create a number of 'virtual worlds'. Clegg said: "Growing up today isn't easy as life has become more complex for young people to navigate. We want to wipe the slate clean so young people are free from the burden of our failings."
Sutton Council leader Sean Brennan added: "[The Sutton Life Centre] is designed to give young people the opportunity to learn new life skills and become the citizens of the future - it is the Big Society super classroom."