Famous for its quintessentially English market towns and villages built from honey-coloured stone, the Cotswolds conjures up images of green countryside, sheep shaped pastures and rolling hills, a rural idyl. But what is the lived experience if you are a teenager from a low income family, or a young person with a physical disability or a young carer – then it is the very essence of what makes the Cotswolds so attractive to some that makes it so very difficult for others. The Social Mobility Commission’s Report  (2017) found that the worst performing areas for social mobility are no longer inner city areas, but remote rural and coastal areas, and former industrial areas. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds living in these areas face far higher barriers than young people growing up in cities and their surrounding areas - and in their working lives, face lower rates of pay; fewer top jobs; and travelling to work times of nearly four times more than that of urban residents. The Cotswolds delivers worst outcomes for disadvantaged young people than poorer areas such as Sunderland and Tower Hamlets.

A nearly non-existent public transport system, a lack of local jobs, no cinema, no shopping mall, a local parish & town council represented by retired wealthy business people keen to preserve the tranquillity and rural idyll they’ve paid handsomely for. With social media, tv and internet, these young people are all too aware of what they are missing out on, the malls, the multi-plex’s, the creative youth hubs of Bristol & Gloucester with music studios, artists and filmmakers, top skate parks, adventure play grounds and more. There is none of this here in the Cotswolds. The annual duck race and the parish church fete are the highlights in the social calendar. Instead there are worrying trends, our police colleagues all too aware of the violent drug gangs from major cities of Birmingham and Bristol using organised networks known as 'county lines' for child couriers to deliver Class A substances into the “safety” of rural market towns. No longer is it a few joints on the park bench, instead we are seeing a rise in Ketamine, Heroine & Cocaine use, snapchat videos shared amongst peers of “out of it” friends just the norm. Strapped youth & play services have retreated to the city hubs of Cheltenham & Gloucester no longer able to afford outreach services for young people or even to provide staff to attend strategic meetings.

More marginalised than ever, many young people struggle to think beyond the confines of the village, as John (16) says “its groundhog day here, nothing changes, everything is for the old people, there is nothing to do, we can’t get anywhere, so this is our life.” As the opportunities decrease, so to the dreams. With limited work, training or volunteer opportunities, it is easy for days to lack structure and routine. Claire (18) talks of her embarrassment rising up in her as she  has nothing to talk to others about, nothing is happening, there is no change. Jess (16) says there are lots of young people whose parents can afford for them to learn to drive, or have the time and money to drive them into the city or can enrol them in the prestigious dance schools or outdoor activity centres but for many this is not possible. With council houses next to million pound houses, the have and have nots have never been closer, what impact does this have on the psyche of a young person? As Jess (16) put it, “it’s just not fair”.

The Cotswold Youth Network was set up to tackle some of these issues and to improve outcomes for children and young people.