"People said all sorts of things when they heard I was coming to work here. But people say things about many places. I don't think this is any worse than some other parts of Manchester."
Donna Niman is a youth worker at West Gorton Youth Centre, Manchester.
The area achieved notoriety after becoming the backdrop for the Chatsworth Estate, setting of the Bafta-winning Channel 4 drama Shameless. This everyday story of feckless alcoholic Frank Gallagher, his sprawling family and their neighbours, was packed with "sex, drugs, gratuitous violence, love and scams", according to Channel 4's own publicity. "Venture if you dare on to Manchester's Chatsworth Estate," urged the show's web site.
In reality, West Gorton is no more than a few streets. It has the odd crumbling Victorian terrace but in the main consists of modern, public sector flats and houses, has very few shops or facilities, the odd green space, a few characterful buildings and a busy main road.
Opinions are divided at the Steps project at West Gorton Youth Centre as to whether the show actually reflects the reality of life in the area.
"Shameless? It's a good laugh innit?" says one young person. "That's how it is - if anything it makes it look better," adds another. "It goes over the top - we had a reputation, this has made it worse," says another.
Niman believes people are proud to come from the area. "It's got a strong sense of identity and there are some very active local residents who want change," she says. "You ask the young people where they want to be in 10 years' time and they'll all say 'out of Gorton'. But then you go on a residential and they can't wait to get back."
Gorton might be rough, argue the young people, but it's not as bad as some nearby areas such as Moss Side.
"There is stuff happening here," says Niman. "There is the new gymnastics centre, there are parks and green spaces, there's a big cinema and a new climbing centre."
There are things to do and places to go, and, crucially, access to youth projects. Niman's own centre is open five nights a week and runs a young parents group on Tuesday mornings. Typical youth club sessions include girls-only nights and cultural workshops looking at the food, music and histories of local communities, including the sizable settled Irish Traveller community in West Gorton.
Back to education
In the daytime, Steps also runs a project for young people who are at risk of permanent exclusion from school. Up to 12 young people attend the scheme for 25 hours a week. They are taught English and Maths up to GCSE level and study pre-GCSE Assessment and Qualifications Alliance units covering sports and leisure, IT and vocational skills. Emphasis is placed on personal and social development.
Out of 10 young people who attended last year's programme, seven got between one and three GCSEs and all 10 either found employment or went back into education.
For the young people who attend the project, it is one of the best things about living in the area and they recognise it is giving them a massive step up at a time when their lives risk going astray.
"I'd wagged it too much," explains Adam, 16. "I come here a lot more than I did school." Liam, 15, adds: "I get far more done here than I ever did at school - a hundred times more even."
Both Liam and Adam have plans to study to be heating engineers and are receiving support from the project's Connexions personal adviser to find a local college course. Emma, 15, also attends the project. She already helps out as a junior youth worker and is a qualified football referee. She plans to do more sports and youth work-related qualifications at college.
Project manager Andy Vaughton attributes the project's success to the fact that workers are able to take time to get to know young people and the difficulties they face in life.
"A lot will have problems with their parents," explains Vaughton. "There are pools of low basic skills and parents who just don't see education as important. If the parents don't, then the young people won't."
Manchester's gang culture is also a problem. According to Vaughton, many local young people aspire to be gang members, which is reflected in their behaviour. "Gangsters are a figure of respect for some," acknowledges Vaughton. "This can create an antisocial culture, with a lot of young people having little respect for authority.
"They don't like the way most teachers speak to them and won't take it. But here they know they'll have a say and we'll listen to their opinions."
Barry (not his real name), 15, also attends Steps. He believes that showing young people some respect can make all the difference. "At school you get talked to like you're something you scrape off the bottom of your shoe," he says. "That's when we react."
Despite the efforts of local projects, West Gorton still has its difficulties.
Many young people are concerned about the number of immigrants and asylum seekers in the area and racism remains rife. "My next door neighbours don't even speak English," says Barry, who offers predictions of an impending civil war. Racism, like routine cannabis use, is one issue Steps regularly has to challenge young people about.
Antisocial problem
Many residents also complain about antisocial behaviour in West Gorton. On The Streets is a crime and disorder project linked to regeneration specialist The Places for People Group that is helping to tackle the problem. It works mainly with young people who have been given antisocial behaviour orders, or been referred by parents, the police and neighbourhood wardens.
Project worker Pat Stewart explains: "There's a lot of mentoring going on and over the past couple of years we're getting more involvement from adults."
The project also offers young people a chance to get involved in community development activities, ranging from first-aid training and community cleanups to film-making projects.
At first, says Stewart, young people are attracted to On The Streets by the reward trips on offer at weekends. "But increasingly they aren't so bothered about the rewards and just come down because they want to talk about the area and their problems," she says.
"It's hard to say why the project works for young people," says Stewart.
"It's about getting to the bottom of things, challenging people, not making excuses for the things they do, but showing the effect of their actions and how things can be different."
YOUNG PEOPLE'S VOICES
West Gorton is not too bad. I hang about with some older lads, but not the ones who get into trouble. We like to play football - Christopher, 15
Everything gets robbed and the place looks like it's falling down. You see little kids doing stuff like kicking gates and when you say something all you get is a mouthful of abuse - Emma, 15
There's a lot of muppets trying to start things. You'll see gangs hanging around and it's the littlest ones who'll start something - Adam, 16
You get people asking you to buy drugs. If you don't, you can get a kicking. I've had them coming at me shouting, 'Why not? Why not?' - Liam, 15
GORTON BY NUMBERS
- Unauthorised absences at Cedar Mount High School are three times higher than the English average (DfES)
- In 2004, 36 per cent of students gained five or more A* to C grade GCSEs at Cedar Mount High School, compared with an English average of 53.7 per cent (DfES)
- Burglary in Manchester stood at 23 per 1,000 of the population in 2003-04, nearly four times the English average (Home Office)
- Robbery in Manchester stood at 10 per 1,000 in 2003-04, more than six times the English average of 1.5 (Home Office)
- Between April 1999 and September 2004, Greater Manchester issued 608 antisocial behaviour orders, compared with 364 in Greater London (Home Office)
- An average terrace house in West Gorton costs 62,595 compared with an English/Welsh average of 137,805 (Land Registry).
