The town of Morecambe is known for its famous promenade that offers breathtaking views across Morecambe Bay to the Lake District. Once a thriving seaside resort famed for its Winter Gardens and bustling fairgrounds, the town still draws day-trippers and nostalgic holidaymakers, though its heyday as a major tourist hub has long passed.
Especially for its young people, not much is going on. Many feel disconnected from the rest of the country. Speaking to The Guardian, one said the town is “left behind” compared with Liverpool and Manchester, the two nearest big cities more than 50 miles away. One factor they blamed is the increase in international travel, leaving some UK holiday towns “in the dirt and forgotten about”.
The journalist Helen Pidd who grew up in the town said: “It felt like half of the world was cut off. You could go left or right on the prom but never straight ahead, unless you wanted to end up stuck in mud waving frantically for the coastguard. A whole compass point was out of reach.”
Pidd returned to her hometown 25 years after leaving for good, and found out that today’s generation is not doing any better than the one of her own. She noticed a paradox: while living near the sea should bring health and prosperity, the opposite is true for the British coast. “People smoke and drink too much, and they are 20% more likely to be depressed than the national average. In Morecambe town centre, men have a healthy life expectancy of only 56 years and can expect to live to just 72,” she wrote. Like many pther seaside towns, Morecambe struggles with deprivation, with almost 40% of all pupils eligible for free school meals.
Speaking to the journalist, young people admitted that Morecambe is beautiful, but there isn’t much to do. They were shocked to hear that the reported saw Blur playing in the town, in a music venue that no longer exists.
One said: “No way. They came to Morecambe? Wow, imagine that,” adding that it would be great to have a music venue as it would make the whole community “buzzing”. “Things to look forward to are so important.” When asked what they do for fun, the young replied “walk up and down the prom and maybe pop into Aldi”.
The population has long awaited a project that might help bring life to the town. The Eden Project, awarded £50 million from the Levelling Up fund during Rishi Sunak‘s government, is an eco-tourist attraction promising to “reimagine the seaside resort for the 21st century”. The plot twist: it is only expected to open in 2028. Until then, young people will need to find other ways to bring their community to life.
