In 2025 Blystra Arts were commissioned by Safer Stronger Communities to explore why young people living in Newquay were leaving the town to build lives and work elsewhere. The Office for National Statistics data shows that Newquay has fewer young people in their teens and twenties than the national average and the Connected Communities commission was about trying to find out, through a questionnaire and data analysis, why this might be. The project asked 348 people from across Newquay, in all demographics, but mainly young people, questions designed to get to the bottom of this question. At the end of the project Blystra created a report and film which showed their findings from the yearlong project, which included a number of on the ground events, most notably, Empowering Newquay’s Future in May 2025 and Look Out Festival in September 2025.
We’re pleased to announce that the Connected Communities Report and film are now ready to publish, and we are so excited to share what we have been working on for just over a year from February 2025 to June 2026. This data, report and film will now be used by different Newquay based organisations and ourselves to support future funding bids, bringing money in to the town for our young people. The first ever Empowering Newquay’s Future event which we delivered in partnership with Newquay Orchard, Newquay Town Council and many other partners around the table was a hugely successful event and is one way we can respond to the data found in the report, which showed that many young people still perceive that Newquay only has hospitality and retail jobs to offer. Ourselves and other partners in the town, are now looking to 2027 and the possibility of running another ENF event and this event becoming embedded in to the Newquay calendar of annual events.
Download the abridged report (for an easier read)
