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Simon Fanshawe visits an ambitious community project in ‘Bridging The Gap’.

The gap in question is the cavernous void between young and old which breeds mistrust and anxiety.

Pat Stewart and Rob Burley run the ‘On The Streets’ project in Gorton, Manchester. Their aim is to develop in the young teenagers a sense of their community, and show them there is more to life than spiralling from ASBO to serious crime.

In the programme the 15 and 16 year-olds talk frankly about a life which they feel has little to offer them – with few or no facilities, threats from gangs, and nothing to occupy their time.

The programme attends an events day run by Pat and Rob at the Angel Community Centre where one highlight is the hand massage session which not only gives the over-60’s a chance to relax and enjoy a bit of pampering, but more importantly a chance for young and old to talk and exchange stories from their very different lives.

The campaign itself has won awards for breaking down barriers and helping to develop communication and common interest across generations, and Pat and Rob are determined to ‘take young people out of the thug-mode and elderly people out of the victim-mode’. 

As one of the documentary’s producers, Tamsyn Challenger, says, ‘To hear a 14 year old talking about 80 year old Lou on his estate is heartening when there is little positive coverage of 14 year old Manchester lads living in depressed areas.’