Greater Manchester is well known for its cultural heritage and strong sense of regional community.
But recently the iconic Salford’s Lads and Girls Club had to raise a quarter of a million pounds to fight off closure – pointing to a wider problem across the region.
Volunteer at the club Chris Brierley said: “There aren’t many [youth clubs] in the first place. There’s hardly any when you think of it.”
He isn’t wrong: data released by ONS shows there are just 13 youth clubs in Salford, compared to an average of 19 per borough across all of Greater Manchester.
And in fact there is a broader issue in the city-region: Greater Manchester has the smallest proportionate number of community facilities of any combined authority in the country and over a third less than average.
Within this, the average number of proportionate facilities across the districts of Greater Manchester is almost a third below national average.
Community facilities includes youth clubs, community centres, social clubs, community services and multi-purpose community sites.
Manchester is the district in Greater Manchester with the smallest proportionate number of facilities – under half the national average and accounting for less than 7% of facilities across Greater Manchester’s 10 districts.
Data also shows that Greater Manchester underperforms compared to the rest of the country within all the sub-categories of community facilities, apart from social clubs and youth clubs which sit above average.
The worst performing sub-category is multi-purpose community sites – all Greater Manchester districts had fewer than five sites and so exact data was suppressed for confidentiality reasons.
Whilst the average number of youth clubs in Greater Manchester sits above the national average, the number of youth clubs in Salford specifically is around 30% less than the Greater Manchester average.
A number that Brierley said has gone down over the years.
He said: “There was noticeably more before, and the Scouts were more active in those days.
“Provision for young people has definitely dropped and it depends on what kind of home you come from.
“This area has got a really high proportion of low-income families and it’s a haven for them. They can come, it’s warm, it’s friendly, there’s food on offer some of the time and they just love to come and take part in the activities we put together.”
Due to cuts in funding and rising energy costs Salford Lads and Girls club recently found itself using up its financial reserves and risked having to shut down.
Brierley said: “It would be devastating for some of the older volunteers that have been here since they were kids [if it shut down], but it’d be devastating for the young people because a lot of them just wander up.
“If they weren’t coming in the club, they’d just be wandering the streets. It’s like anything – you don’t miss it until it’s not there.”
Originally built to serve the working class children of Salford's dock workers 120 years ago, the club runs sport, art and music activities for the local community and currently has 250 members.
The community quickly got behind the club when it was announced they were at risk of closing and the subsequent fundraiser began in October.
Brierley added that one of the children, Blaine, 19, who has been going to the club since he was nine, is now training to be a youth worker.
Now the club is looking into hiring a dedicated member of staff to apply for grants to ensure the club does not face closure again in the future.
Financial issues faced by charity organisations is a widespread problem across the country - baby hospital Zoe's place in Liverpool recently had to raise £6.4 million in 30 days to stay open.
Brierley said: “When you’re a charity like this you’re always chasing your funds."
He added that cutbacks over the last 14 years to the council run Salford Youth Service means they now have fewer youth workers helping at the club.
In September, Salford City Council announced they are creating a new youth centre in Salford, Salford Youth Zone, set to open in early 2025.
GMCA, Manchester City Council and Salford Council have all been contacted for comment.
Featured Image: Salford Lads and Girls' Club taken by Chris Brierley
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