A Salford dad has taken 50 children from his 'deprived' neighbourhood on a beach trip to Blackpool to support struggling parents. Jerry McCann, 39, booked an end-of-summer trip to the Pleasure Beach for Little Hulton youngsters aged between 10 and 16. The dad-of-seven says he organised the trip after becoming concerned about the lack of activities for young people in the area.
A First Trip to Blackpool for Many
McCann, who is the older brother of rapper Jordan McCann, said that for some of the kids, the trip was the first time they'd ever visited Blackpool before despite it only being 40 miles away. “I lived in this area as a kid and I know what it’s like to have nothing to do and end up in trouble because you’re bored,” said Jerry. “I also know how horrible it feels to not be able to give your kids days out and holidays.”
Jerry, who has seven children with his girlfriend Holly Campbell, said he found himself approaching 40 and looking around the neighbourhood where he grew up, thinking: “It’s getting bad round here.” According to Ofsted area data, 70% of children are living in low-income families in Little Hulton South, versus 72% in Little Hulton North. This compares with 50% across Salford and 38% nationally, ranking the neighbourhood in the 10% most deprived areas based on income deprivation among children in England.
Community Rallies Around the Trip
Jerry decided he wanted to give local youngsters one big day out before the end of the school holidays – and make sure nobody was singled out or embarrassed because of their family’s financial circumstances. He put a shout-out on social media, inviting local children to spend the day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, with no means testing and no shame attached to asking for a place.
The idea soon took on a life of its own as he said people and businesses in the community rallied around to make it happen. A local garage paid for a coach to take the group on the journey to Blackpool while volunteers also got stuck in to help with the trip. Jerry said Tesco provided items for lunches and his eldest daughter, Tinika, 16, made a packed lunch for every person going. A local volunteer even paid for fast food for the children on the journey home.
50 Kids Made It on the Trip
Jerry admitted organising an outing involving dozens of youngsters was “stressful” and some children who had initially signed up did not turn up on the day. But 50 made it onto the coach – and once they set off, Jerry said he quickly began to feel responsible for every one of them. He said: “They felt like my own kids on the day, very protective and proud of them.”
The group carried out head counts after every ride, while the older children were trusted with some independence to go on rides without the adults before meeting back at agreed places and times. He said some of the youngsters had autism or other special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and Jerry praised the volunteers for making sure everybody was included and supported. Tinika also took care of girls who had joined the trip without knowing anybody else.
Jerry deliberately encouraged children who did not know each other to sit together on the coach and said some who began the day as strangers were best friends by the end of it. He also watched younger children encourage each other to be brave enough to tackle some of the theme park’s biggest rides. The excitement was shared with people back home through TikTok Live.
'Credit to Their Parents'
After a full day of rides, excitement and sugar, Jerry admitted he was dreading what the coach journey back to Salford might be like. Instead, he said the children were once again brilliantly behaved, something he described as a “credit to their parents”. He said one moment from the day particularly stayed with him, when a girl told him: “I wish you were my dad.” The comment touched Jerry, who himself grew up without a father. He said the trip had not only been good for the children but had given people in his local area something positive to rally around.
Jerry said: “I do think it’s been good for the area. There’s not a lot of good news knocking about, so it’s been nice to all get involved with something positive for once. “A lot of kids have never even been to Blackpool, let alone been abroad… with social media now, they can see all this other stuff people are doing, which must make it loads worse.”
The success of the first outing has already left Jerry thinking bigger, and he now hopes to organise another trip for as many as 100 children. He would also like to see more activities for adults, saying there is little locally for people to do together that does not revolve around pubs or gambling. The response to the Blackpool trip has shown him there are plenty of people willing to help, with more locals now wanting to get involved in future events.
For Jerry, it is also a chance to challenge some of the negative perceptions of the neighbourhood where he grew up and is now raising his own family. He said: “I know the potential this area has. It gets a bad name, but the people here are the salt of the earth who know how to look out for each other.”
