Skelmersdale Lancashire The Town Without Trains, High Street But Has Beach

When you visit Skelmersdale, you’ll notice some things. It doesn’t really have a “town centre”, and its lack of typical Lancashire town features makes it unique. Tracy has lived there since she was seven. She says they lack a high street and have very few pubs; she thinks only one pub serves food.

Skelmersdale also lacks a town hall and no longer has a cinema. Residents fear they will soon lose the swimming baths. To understand Skelmersdale, you need its history. After World War II, housing was scarce, so the government planned to build “new towns”.

Skelmersdale was designated in 1961 during the second wave of new towns. You only find old terraced houses in “Old Skelmersdale.” The roads are straight and full of roundabouts, and each roundabout has its own name. It’s like a mini Milton Keynes.

The town splits into estates, each with its own shops. Elms Green is supposedly the “posh” area, while the Digmoor area is among the most deprived in the country. Nikki runs a catering business and has lived in Skelmersdale her entire life. “I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” she says.

Skelmersdale lacks a train station, and people online have joked about visiting it. The town is the second largest in the region without one. Skelmersdale does have some great qualities. Community spirit is strong there.

Tracy showed Tawd Valley Park and says Skelmersdale has many community groups. They feel abandoned by governance, so they started their own groups. About Town is a community hub that started as a free positive news magazine founded by Bev Roberts.

Bev says Skelmersdale is populated but has the fewest resources. That inspired them to start About Town. Skelmersdale also has lots of green space; an amazing 56% of it is green. Tawd Valley Park even has its own “beach,” which is impressive since it’s not on the coast.

The Friends group helps maintain Tawd Valley Park. They cleaned up the river, and now brown trout live there. The river flows from the town centre all the way to the old weir, Tracy added.

Terry Lake led the Friends of Tawd Valley Park. He says they protect it for the future and fear losing green spaces to new houses. Nikki agrees people in Skelmersdale act themselves. It relies on volunteers to thrive.

Nikki feels it’s a kind community. People rally if you have a problem. When someone’s kids’ presents got stolen, people fundraised and replaced everything quickly. You don’t see that spirit in big cities anymore.