St Leonard's church, Bootle, Liverpool
As in the country as a whole, poverty in the North West of England is unevenly distributed. In Liverpool, pockets of deprivation exist in relatively wealthy areas. Someone born in one of the more deprived parts of Liverpool and Knowsley is likely to die six or seven years earlier than someone else born in a wealthier area of the Wirral.[1]
Children affected by poverty in these communities often have fewer opportunities and lower self esteem, and there is an increased likelihood they will turn to crime.
'It’s like, done and dusted. Your life’s mapped out when you’re 15, 16. They need to get someone to give them a bit of ‘umph’ and show them that life doesn’t have to be like this.'
Debbie King is a Community Development Worker at St. Leonard’s church. For the past seven years, St Leonard’s church hall has opened its door to the community of Bootle, providing after school sessions for children and young people, mother and toddler groups, and support in gaining further qualifications and training.
'The need here is to get children off the streets and engaged in projects going on in the club. It is not just opening the doors for a game of pool, it is more than that. We try to address the issues and encourage children and young people into something else. We offer support and advice on sexual health, drugs and alcohol misuse. The staff deal with all these issues with the young people from the age of 12 upwards. If we weren’t here it would have an impact on the anti-social behaviour in the area.' Debbie King, Community Development Worker.
Through our provision of investment and resources, people like Debbie can begin to create sustainable change. Many more communities need this kind of multi-faceted investment to develop tools to combat poverty now and in years to come.
Please help us to ensure people in your region have the support they need.
1. Research carried out for BBC, 2008.