Warrington Runaways

Before visiting Warrington I knew it for rugby league, a notorious IRA bomb and as the place next to where Roger Hunt was born. I now know it to be a pretty prosperous large town that would like to be a city and has many residents who work elsewhere. Warrington has two Labour MPs, both called Helen. Its town hall is very handsome and fronted by a set of fancy gates. It has a vast, new indoor mall and a branch of IKEA which was the first to open in Britain and is still the largest. Also, it is the home of a project called Talk, Don't Walk which tries to help children who run away from home to sort out their problems. Talk, Don't Walk is one of the schemes run from the Relationships Centre, a charity based in the Gateway building.

Several interesting themes emerged from my conversations with those who work there. They believe they have a unique approach to the issue of kids who "run", be it from their families or from care, and that this is possible largely because they are a voluntary rather than a statutory social care organisation. Their remit, they say, gives them greater flexibility in getting to the root of children's problems while the fact that they are an independent body makes them more approachable in the eyes of those who are wary of officialdom and authority. I'll be writing a longer piece about Talk, Don't Walk for Comment Is Free and may post a short video interview with its project manager at 18 Doughty Street. It all feeds in to those big political themes about youth, citizenship and social alienation.

Comments

[David B]

It’s so odd (and reassuring) seeing somebody blog about the place I send most days. Nice pictures too. Warrington is a bit of an oddity, though. It’s thriving and isn’t that typical. People are more prosperous and the shops of a different class. It’s often seen as a place that’s probably a little bit above itself. St Helens or Wigan are more typical northern working class towns and never look so sunny.

Still, it’s so refreshing to see a London blogger coming to see how we live. I only wish I’d known you were coming up. I was literally around the corner and would have bought you a coffee. :o)

[Dave Hill]

I had no idea you were based in Warrington, David! If I had I'd have definitely accepted that cup of coffee. My big chance to meet the man behind The Spine and I didn't even know it!

[Littlebear]

No more little videos? I liked them. . .