As a teenager, the Today in Focus presenter Helen Pidd could not wait to leave her home town on the Lancashire coast. But today she looks back with fondness at her time spent at the fairground or misbehaving on the beachfront, and watching bands at the local music venue.
She returned this summer to find out what life was like for young people today – and found things were not as she remembered. All of her old haunts had shut down and young people spoke about a town in which they had nothing to do.
Eleanor Adamson, a 22-year-old carer, describes how hard it has been to forge her own path in life in Morecambe. Impoverished coastal towns have lower life expectancy and worse educational outcomes than elsewhere. Students at Helen’s former school say they feel “disregarded” by successive governments that have left seaside towns to decay.
Reform UK politicians see an opportunity in towns like Morecambe. But do they have any solutions? Helen speaks to local Reform and Labour councillors about what policies they have for young people in Morecambe. “Our coastline is littered with lost opportunities and left behind communities. Other countries celebrate and invest in their seaside. It’s about time we did, too,” she says.
- This episode is part of a year-long project from the Guardian’s Seascape series, reporting on the lives of young people in coastal communities across England and Wales
- Support the Guardian today: theguardian.com/todayinfocuspod
