1989To some of us, it only feels like yesterday! Kylie, Jason and Madonna conquered the charts, the Hillsborough disaster rocked the nation, and the Ford Escort was the countrys best-selling car for the eighth year running. Sky TV began broadcasting, the IRA bombed the barracks at Deal, and Salman Rushdie found himself in a spot of bother. As one of modern Britains most eventful decades came to a close, the nations young people found themselves coming of age in a new cultural landscape. In post-industrial Northampton, it soon became evident that a new support service was needed to help the emerging generation meet the challenges presented by contemporary society.

And so, in July 89, the Lowdown opened its doors to 12-25 year-olds, offering counselling, information and support in the heart of Northampton. Situated in a beautiful old building on Kingswell Street, the charity enjoyed a strong start thanks to funding from Northants County Council and sponsorship from local businesses such as Avon, Barclaycard and Levi Strauss. Its logo was designed for free by a leading advertising company and its radio publicity message recorded by none other than Jools Holland.

To begin with, the agency predominantly helped those experiencing social problems such as homelessness and unemployment, but over time, its chief focus became mental health and the provision of one-to-one counselling. By the end of its first year, it had provided direct support to almost 1000 young people, a number that rose significantly throughout the 1990s. To meet increasing demand, the charity secured vital funding (including not one, but two National Lottery grants), recruited and trained more volunteers, and began essential outreach projects in schools, colleges and community groups. It even delivered telephone counselling support for Channel 4s Dispatches programme, while its promotion of sexual health went from strength to strength with the provision of pregnancy testing, contraceptive care and youth-friendly leaflets about safe sex, a resource otherwise non-existent at the time.

As the agency flourished, it became renowned for its creative, celebrity-endorsed events, organised to raise money for and awareness of its services. In 1995, TV fashion guru Caryn Franklin hosted Hope 95, a season of fashion cabarets at the Derngate Theatre involving local schools and drama groups. In 2000, Alan Titchmarsh and his BBC1 Ground Force team converted the Kingswell Street buildings tarmacked courtyard into a wonderful garden for the benefit of both clients and volunteers. Athlete Sally Gunnell, comedian Alan Carr and politician Iain Duncan-Smith are also among those who, at certain points, have publicly demonstrated their support for the charity.

Such occasions have been landmarks in the Lowdowns journey, raising its profile and expanding its influence across Northampton and the wider region. Other important developments have emerged from times of crisis such as the 7/7 bombings in 2005. Immediately after the attacks, the agency set up a support stand at Northampton train station and kept its doors open for 48 hours, providing emergency counselling for anyone affected, regardless of their age. Testing its staying power like nothing else, the service has encountered several threats of closure over the years, all of which were overcome by the incredible generosity of donors great and small, and by the inventive fund-raising of committed volunteers.

As the 21st century gathered momentum, the number of clients accessing the Lowdowns services continued to grow, as did the number of referrals and requests from other organisations. Once again, measures were taken to meet the high level of demand, with even more volunteers (both young and mature) being recruited to help at Kingswell Street and beyond. Other crucial work included the provision of trauma counselling, legal advice and confidence-boosting workshops for young asylum seekers and refugees. For the client base as a whole, highly qualified professionals offered their time and expertise free of charge, chlamydia screening was provided, bullying was campaigned against in the town centre, and key issues such as alcohol, drugs, anger management and gang culture were tackled in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Now, after 30 years of highs and lows, the Lowdown has supported more than 60,000 young people through counselling, sexual health support, LGBTQ support, and outreach and training in the local community. This would not have been possible without the hard work of approximately 350 volunteers, many of whom were trained by the agency itself and, more recently, have been studying on counselling-related courses at the University of Northampton and elsewhere.

Proud of its Northampton roots, the Lowdown remains an independent, volunteer-led charity with a massive heart for the regions young people, providing free, essential services for their health and well-being. It is also honoured to partner with the NHS and other youth charities across the county to make a lasting, positive impact. Like their counterparts of the late 80s, todays youth find themselves in a time of great social, cultural and technological change, and the Lowdown must now expand its capacity to support them as they face new and unfamiliar challenges unique to the 21st century.