Give us some space, say Dawlish youth

And get rid of those seagulls!

Young people in Dawlish are frustrated at the apparent lack of town centre spaces for them, according to a survey of more than 300 ten to 19 year-olds in the town.

In response to being asked about what is "alright" and "what sucks" about Dawlish, as well as what would make it better, positive responses were based around a more youth-friendly atmosphere and greater environmental awareness. But many feel negatively, and perceive a "darker side to Dawlish" - wanting the town to sort out the negative effects of drugs and alcohol. Their biggest complaint is "there's nothing to do or nowhere to go."

About 1,500 people in Dawlish are in the second decade of their lives; 53 per cent of them are boys. At GCSE level, they significantly underperform the national and Devon educational average. The report says this is "as might be expected for a small seaside town."

About 30 young people attended the UK's first ever youth Redeeming Our Communities (ROC) conversation which took place in Dawlish in July, which was addressed by the town's mayor, Councillor Lisa Mayne.

ROC aims to build safer, kinder communities. The next event is a drop-in session from 4.30 to 6pm on Friday 7 September at the Riverside Centre, Manor Ground, Dawlish.

One in five (21 per cent) of people aged 10 to 19 in Dawlish responded to the survey. Among the findings:

* The beach is Dawlish's most popular feature, followed by the environment and shopping

* Youngsters didn't rate schools very highly when asked about the best thing in Dawlish

* The most common complaint is "there's nothing to do"

* Concern over the environment includes worries about the high number of seagulls