Does Middlesbrough Really Deserve Its Bad Reputation?

Middlesbrough has long been given a bad reputation by the national media and much of the UK. As a 29 year-old woman born and raised in Acklam, I’ve always wondered why. From a young age, I’ve questioned why people from outside the area see our town as an awful place to live. Do we really deserve this reputation, or is it simply an unfair stereotype?

The first time this really struck me was in 2007 when I was just 12 years old. I remember watching Location, Location, Location on Channel 4, where they listed the top 10 best and worst places to live in the UK. The year before, Middlesbrough had been ranked as the fifth worst place, so I was curious to see if we had improved. I never expected us to be voted the worst place to live in the country. My first thought was, Is this really how the rest of the UK sees us? Because I knew that wasn’t the full story.

Many of you have probably seen the clip they aired, which lasted around six minutes. As always, when TV crews visit Middlesbrough, they focus on the most deprived areas. They filmed parts of Gresham, where houses had been left abandoned, and spoke about crime rates and unemployment. Not once did they highlight anything positive about our town. But as someone who is proud to call Middlesbrough home, I refuse to accept this one-sided portrayal.

I wont pretend that Middlesbrough is a perfect town we have our challenges. Issues like poverty, drugs, and mental health need to be addressed, and its important to have conversations about them. But having travelled to many different parts of the UK, I can confidently say that nowhere is without its problems. Crime, poverty, and drug use exist in every town and city, yet nowhere else seems to have these issues amplified in the media as much as Middlesbrough. The only stories that ever make it to the national spotlight are the negative ones, and that needs to change.

My dad always used to say, They never come and film Acklam Hall or the Avenue of Trees. They never talk about Stanley Hollis, the only man to win a Victoria Cross on D-Day, who was from Middlesbrough. They dont mention our proud steel industry or the fact that we hosted BBC Radio 1s Big Weekend. There are countless incredible things about Teesside that the media ignore our rich history, our achievements, and most importantly, our people.

Middlesbrough does not deserve the bad reputation it has been given. Anyone who reads my blog knows how passionate I am about this town. I am proud to be from here, and I will continue to fight for the positive recognition we deserve. That’s why I started Project Middlesbrough to share real stories from real people and to show the world the true Middlesbrough.

This is my Middlesbrough. This is your Middlesbrough. Its time we changed the narrative.