It’s time to back our young people
I recently visited the brilliant House of Wingz – a hub of creativity offering young people in Blackpool a place to learn, connect and express themselves through dance, music, drama, graffiti and the wider culture of hip hop. It’s an inspiring space. The work happening here lifts ambition, builds confidence and creates opportunities. A new report has confirmed that’s exactly what they need.
Orson Crane, a young person I met while there is a shining example of this. He and two other House of Wingz dancers are about to head out on a national tour with the prestigious National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) run by Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. They were selected to join the tour after attending nationwide workshops that took place last year. The fact that three out of 33 dancers selected nationally came from Blackpool is a credit to House of Wingz.
Orson Crane. Main image Julia and Joe from House of Wingz. Photos by Polly Braden
Now a new interim report from University College London, Young People in Coastal Communities, highlights just why places like House of Wingz matter so much. I was there as part of a small discussion between young people, local organisations and policymakers that informed UCL’s ongoing research. This report reflects real lives, real places and real potential that too often goes unsupported.
The findings paint a stark picture. In towns like Blackpool, young people are being held back before their adult lives have even begun. In coastal communities across the country, 15-20 year olds face unique and often hidden challenges. Opportunities to access good education or meaningful employment are few and far between. Leisure activities – so vital for personal development and belonging – are increasingly out of reach due to cost, lack of transport and the hollowing out of high streets. Youth clubs, once a lifeline, have been slashed. Where they remain, services are underfunded, overstretched and too often reliant on short-term or piecemeal funding models that leave young people – and those working so hard to support them – in a constant state of uncertainty.
The result is a generation at risk. The report makes clear that the lack of accessible spaces and support contributes to a rise in anti-social behaviour, drug use, and – in too many cases – involvement in serious crime. Shockingly, County Lines activity was raised in around half of the interviews carried out by researchers.
And yet, these young people are full of hope. Full of ideas. They’re not looking for handouts – they’re asking to be seen, heard and backed. What’s missing isn’t ambition. It’s infrastructure, stability and belief. In House of Wingz we get an insight into what happens when we give this to our young people. And the result speak for themselves.
Over the past year I’ve spoken with countless young people across our town – in schools and colleges and in youth spaces. They’re proud of where they’re from. But many say they don’t see a future for themselves here. For too long, the assumption has been that success means escape. That needs to change. That’s why I raised this exact issue in the House of Commons last month.
The report also highlights a fundamental problem – young people are almost entirely absent from the decision-making that affects their lives. We must change that. Their voices are essential to understanding what’s needed in our communities – and even more essential in designing solutions.
But this isn’t inevitable and it isn’t hopeless. The report confirms what we already understand on the ground. As Blackpool’s MP, I’ve made championing young people a core focus of my work. The challenges laid out in this report are real – and I’m proud to say they’re being tackled head-on by this government and locally.
We are working to bring back youth services, to regenerate public spaces and to fund year-round, youth-friendly mental health support. We are creating strong pathways into training, apprenticeships and local jobs – opportunities that are rooted in our town and designed for our people. We’re fighting for better transport, for safer streets and for sustainable investment that doesn’t just fix the cracks – but builds something better from the ground up.
And we’re listening to young people themselves.
The UCL report offers a clear roadmap for action. It calls on us to offer young people something to do and somewhere to go. To provide sustainable funding for youth services. To include them in local planning and decision-making. To improve education and employment pathways. And to regenerate the built environment that surrounds them every day. These aren’t vague ambitions – they’re deliverable goals. And they’re goals we’re determined to meet.
Blackpool is not broken. It’s a town with heart, history and a future. I see that in the young people who walk through the doors of House of Wingz and places like it. They don’t need rescuing. They need resources. They need to be trusted. They need a town that believes in them. I for one will keep fighting to make it happen – to work with our young people to build a better Blackpool – together.
