Wicksteed Park

More Than two million people live in England's so-called Left Behind Neighbourhoods. Avondale Grange, in Kettering, Northamptonshire, is highlighted as needing help to stop growing inequality.

Asked for The Best thing about living in Avondale Grange, Leah Simpson barely hesitates.

" The People are very friendly, there are a lot of open spaces, it's a nice Area , " says The 25-year-old.

She and her partner live on The Estate , situated on The Town 's outskirts, with their two daughters, aged three And One .

And The worst thing?

" The parks are definitely lacking a little bit. There's a lot of Broken Glass , " she says.

" We've been Down There before and found needles and things like That , which is a shame because it would be nice to be able to use them a bit more.

" It definitely puts you On Edge . "

That , she says, was about Six Weeks ago in a park next to a community centre and along a road from a children's nursery on Laburnum Crescent.

She says youngsters often ride dirt bikes through local parks in The evenings and she finds glass in them in The mornings.

Part of The Problem , she says, is there is little to keep teenagers and young adults entertained.

" I think The nearest thing for younger people is in town, which is about two and a half miles from where We Live , " she says.

" But there is just nothing on The Estate for teenagers or kind of young adults to go and spend their Time In a safe environment and know That they're going to be kept entertained and happy. "

The north Northamptonshire town, where More Than 63,000 people live, has historic ties to The Shoe industry and is home to The Rides and attractions at The Grade II listed Wicksteed Park .

The Local Trust, a charity That funds community projects, and researchers at Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion, named The old Kettering Borough Council ward of Avondale Grange As One of The 225 Left Behind Neighbourhoods.

The Ward included Avondale and The Grange estates, which straddle a busy road heading towards The Town centre.

Does it feel Left Behind ?

" I think when you look at how much funding has gone into The Town centre lately, definitely, " Leah says.

On Tuesdays, she pushes her girls in their double buggy a mile across Avondale and The Grange to The Green Patch, a 2. 5 acre (one hectare) community garden, where volunteers Grow Vegetables and encourage wildlife.

The route takes her through Kettering's most deprived Area - a patch of The Grange on The very edge of The Town , between The busy road and open fields.

One of The landmarks on her route is Grange Methodist Church, windows covered in metal sheeting and awaiting demolition with eight houses due to be built in its place.

Data suggest this Area in particular is falling further behind.

In 2010, The Area was ranked 1,952nd most deprived in England. When The same league table came out in 2015, it was 977th and by 2019 its rank was 748th - Climbing (or falling, depending on your view) More Than 1,200 places in nine years.

It is also where you find Grange Place, home to a newsagent, laundrette, Mexican restaurant and The Grange Resource Centre.

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, The Resource Centre hosts a community cafe where cooked breakfasts are £4 or pay-what-you-can. There's also free supermarket surplus food and a rail of donated clothes.

Retired NHS Health Care assistant Sam Jackson , 56, is a cafe regular.

" Well, personally, I don't go out after four o'clock. You know loads of kids and Strange People About You just don't put yourself At Risk , " she says, sitting on a bench outside The Resource Centre.

" There's lots of drugs-related things, people have No Respect . "

For her, The worst things about The Area are " drugs, crime and poverty".

According to crime statistics from May, The north-east of The Town - where The estates are situated - had The second-highest number of crimes reported in Kettering That month, only behind The Town centre.

There were 72 reports of violence and sexual offences and 35 anti-social behaviour crimes.

What would make it better?

" Well, something for The Kids to do. Somewhere That they've got something to do instead of roaming The Streets and being in doorways, " says Sam.

" I mean, you get a lot of flats down The Street - The pensioners, they've got them urinating at The Doors and things like That .

" And you speak to them politely and you just get a load of abuse. "

Inside The Resource Centre, there is room for six or seven tables, at which a few dozen breakfasts are eaten over The Course of a morning.

Chief cook is Wendie Emery, 80, a former pub landlady, who moved to The Grange from Corby 20 years ago.

The Grange , she says, is " like a small village - Some of The People are lovely and Some of The People aren't, but mostly they're lovely good people".

But she adds: " The Town is dying. It needs bringing up to date.

" There's no bus services and there's no dentists around. There's nothing.

" It's just The whole town seems to be dying and it's not right. When we first came here it was a lovely, lovely town. And now it's just folding into itself.

" The Grange people need something to lift them - and That 's what we try and do a little bit. "

For The Few hours The Cafe is open, it bustles with customers. The centre also hosts art classes and counselling sessions.

There are efforts to help The Area and others That have been 'Left Behind ' in Northamptonshire.

Two Weeks ago, Leah went to a 'World Cafe' event organised by Northamptonshire's Public Health team, where locals shared ideas about what would make The Area better over free Mexican food served in a community centre.

Valerica Potop was also there. She, her husband and their 10-year-old daughter moved to Avondale from London a year ago.

For her, Public Transport is The big concern.

" The Transport links are not really good, it's really bad here, " she says.

" I have a bus That goes from The Corner of The Road , That comes every 45 minutes, sometimes One Hour . If you miss one, you have more chance of walking to your destination, than waiting for another bus. "

She doesn't drive and says she feels " very isolated" relying on Public Transport .

A group of North Northamptonshire councillors have turned their Focus On The Authority 's Left Behind neighbourhoods - Avondale Grange and two others in Corby and Wellingborough.

Earlier this month, The Working Group published a report with dozens of recommendations for improving them.

They ranged from better lighting in parks and investing in local youth work, to reviewing how county lines drug dealing is tackled and offering better help to communities bidding for grants.

" Personally, I don't think our communities have been Left Behind by The People in them, " says The Working Group chair, Labour councillor Zoe McGhee.

" I don't think they've been Left Behind by The wonderful organisations That are supporting children and families in those areas, but they have been Left Behind by The State and they have been Left Behind by social infrastructure. "

She lives in and now represents The Kingswood and Hazel Leys ward in Corby, also identified as Left Behind .

" So-called austerity - That 's what's caused this to become Left Behind , " she says.

" In my opinion, our youths are now looking for safe places to go, they're looking for support. They're looking for Role Models and they're not there because of The cuts That have come in over The Last 10 Years . "

The Conservative leader of The Council , Jason Smithers, said: " The longstanding, often deep-rooted, problems of deprivation and lack of social infrastructure cut across both generations and The political divide".

He Said The recommendations from The Working Group would be " carefully considered" by The Council 's executive.

" When taken alongside The wider ambitions of The Council , set out in its corporate plan, to improve The overall offer for employment, housing, education and health across North Northamptonshire, I believe That we have The opportunity to tackle The deep-rooted issues That lead to Left Behind neighbourhoods, " He Said .

" We Are working very hard to ensure That everyone will have The Best opportunities and quality of life, irrespective of where They Live . "

On Wednesday, The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Left Behind Neighbourhoods published a report which, among its conclusions, found people living in those areas were disproportionately affected by rising energy caps.

They also faced higher levels of financial, food and hardship vulnerability compared to other deprived areas.

The government has said it is investing More Than £2. 85m through nine community renewal fund projects - which aims to support communities most in need across The UK - in north Northamptonshire.

It said The Local council would submit a plan on How To spend their £6. 74m allocation of The UK shared prosperity fund, which hopes to restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging.

A government spokeswoman said: " Opportunity should be spread across The country to ensure no Area is Left Behind . North Northamptonshire has benefited from levelling up investment and has been allocated More Than £29m from A Number of funds.

" We're tackling crime through our Safer Streets Fund and have taken action to address The cost of living crisis by providing eight million of The Most vulnerable families with at least £1,200 of direct payments this year.

" We're also ensuring Every Child receives support by investing £300m in family hubs in The Most deprived areas, and have allocated £96billion to transform The rail network all over The UK. "

Source of news: bbc.com