I have spent time recently visiting some of the provision that we have for young people in Truro.

Last week I visited Zebs Youth Centre where Young People Cornwall have been providing a safe space for young people for decades. I went to the wellbeing café on a Friday night and spoke to young people from across Cornwall who had sometimes travelled quite long distances to come. The centre is well used and valued and has lasted.

In Falmouth we have the Dracaena Centre which was set up a number of years ago by some brilliant local people and still runs youth provision for the town after being adopted by Falmouth Town Council. Having the new skatepark in the grounds has provided a great resource for young people in Falmouth with a watching eye and safe space right next door.

However, provision for our young people has become more and more scarce over the last 14 years of Conservative government cuts as support has often fallen by the wayside. The people who run our youth provision have often explained to me how their funding now comes from one-off grants or charitable funding and filling in the endless application forms and finding the next funding pot is a time consuming and stressful way to run a service that is so important.

Alongside the COVID impact that was so marked on young people in particular who lost time when they were making crucial development steps; the virtual collapse in special and educational needs provision and rise in children dropping out of formal education; and the concerns about what young people are exposed to on the internet, mental health in young people is at an all-time low.

There is a long way to go to fix some of the issues contributing to this, but providing that support for young people in a safe space while the waiting lists for formal NHS mental health services are so long is a crucial element.

That is why I was so pleased to visit Brook Young People Cornwall on Friday who have received over £280,000 from the Department of Health to run their wellbeing hub this year.

Early Support Hubs provide open access, drop-in mental health services that help young people aged 11 to 25 with a range of issues such as exam worries, financial difficulties, jobs and relationships without the need for a referral or doctor’s appointment.

Twenty-four hubs across the country are receiving funding to deliver 10,000 more sessions such as group sessions, counselling, therapies, and specialist support over the next twelve months and I am really pleased that Truro, and Cornwall, will see the benefit of that.

There is a long way to go, but this government is already making steps in the right direction and I am determined to make improvements for our young people in Truro and Falmouth. To find out more and refer yourself to Brook’s wellbeing hub, go here - https://www.brook.org.uk/regions/cornwall-wellbeing-hub