It’s mid-afternoon in the Lincolnshire seaside town of Cleethorpes and Cohen is sitting in the back seat of a car putting on an Easter bunny outfit. A group of teenagers nearby stare in amusement. Cohen isn’t fazed. He is hoping we can take some new photographs that he can use to advertise his mascot business for the upcoming holidays.
Cohen, 19, lives with his parents a couple of miles down the road in neighbouring Grimsby and set up Co Co Mascots last year as one of his many attempts to find work. People can hire him in one of the outfits for birthday parties, events and doorstep surprises for children. He’s done a few paid gigs so far, which has been a boost for his confidence, he says, but what he really wants is a permanent job.
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Cohen, who is looking for a permanent job, makes money as a mascot at birthday parties and events
For the past year, Cohen, who has a learning disability, has been applying for roles in holiday parks, retail, charity shops and even the local football club Grimsby Town FC, which was recruiting for a new mascot. He is volunteering at a local Scope charity shop once or twice a week and is starting a placement through college working at Morrisons. He has yet to find paid work, though not for want of trying. “Retail was a big thing for a lot of people [here in Grimsby] at one point,” he says. “But a lot of its closing down now. It’s now made up of vape shops and barbers and not ones where you can get a job.”
The coastal town of Grimsby was recently dubbed Britain’s “worklessness capital” by the Telegraph due to the large proportion of its working-age people claiming benefits. A Guardian article quoted the then council leader saying some residents were not doing enough to look for work. Much of this rhetoric feels demoralising for Cohen, who says he is “throwing everything” at this.
Once one of the world’s largest fishing ports, Grimsby is still the UK’s biggest fish-processing hub, reportedly making every other fish finger eaten across the country. However, it has a higher number of working-age adults out of employment than the national average, and 41% of under-16s in the town live in relative low-income families.
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Grimsby was once one of the world’s largest fishing ports
For many young people in coastal places such as this, finding paid employment is hard – and having a disability compounds the issue.
“The hardest thing is not hearing back [from a job application] and not getting feedback,” says Cohen. “I start overthinking because I want it [a job] too much. A lot of the time, I think they [employers] will see you have a disability and will pick the person without one because they think the person with a disability is more work.”
Cohen has been volunteering in charity shops and at food banks for more than a year now, and doesn’t see his disability as a barrier to working. “My mind can wander a bit when I work so I need a nudge every so often. I just need a bit of support until I get used to the job and what is expected of me.”
Employment options for Cohen are further limited by the fact neither he nor anyone living with him drives, so he cannot go out of town. “You do have those times when you doubt yourself but then you get back to it,” he says. “Mum and Dad have always been positive and told me not to put myself down, and if I put myself down they’ll tell me I can do it.”
Local graffiti artist Lynsey Powles, who runs the youth hub TickArt Office and helped Cohen set up Co Co Mascots last year, worries about people like him being left behind. “There are a lot of kids in Grimsby who will engage, but if they don’t fit into a box they are never given any hope or support,” she says. “The kids here need opportunities to do things that they’re interested in and can aspire to.”
It’s something adults such as 35-year-old Lewis, who is living in Grimsby’s YMCA while he waits for council housing, agree with. He trained as a technician, but after being made redundant found himself sofa-surfing and living on the streets for a fortnight.
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Lynsey Powles helped Cohen set up his business
“When young adults and kids feel lost or trip up, they don’t know who to ask,” he says. “There’s not enough qualified people here to give them advice.”
He has done bar work in the area in recent years, but after running a food truck on match days at Grimsby FC, he says his long-term dream is to run a village pub, “like Jeremy Clarkson”.
Cohen spends one evening a week at a training session at the local wrestling club, EVO Wrestling Academy, where other teenagers and young adults gather.
“It has been a bit mixed up growing up here,” he says. “I was bullied so I didn’t like to leave the house , but with volunteering and wrestling I’ve started to get out more. I wouldn’t leave my hometown. I’ve been here since birth and don’t plan on leaving.”
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Lisa February moved to Grimsby from London and has now set up a theatre company
It is not just people who grew up in Grimsby who want to find a way to stay. Lisa February, 25, grew up in London before relocating as a child to the coastal town with her mother when her parents separated. After always being told to get out of Grimsby, she did the opposite and has co-founded the lowercase theatre, working with aspiring artists across north-east Lincolnshire.
“I was always told that it was a dead end and there was nothing for me here. I have had lots of opportunities to leave Grimsby and see other places [for work], but I always want to come back here. I have a lot of family and friends and a community that cares about me here.”
Back on the seafront, Cohen has finished with the photography. He’s happy and looking forward to using the images. Next stop for him is his one-day-a-week placement at Morrisons, filling the shelves. He has been told it could eventually lead to a job offer. “I’m kind of nervous,” he says. “I’ve heard they’re all really nice so fingers crossed it’s all going to be OK.”
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Finding paid employment in seaside towns such as Cleethorpes can be hard
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The Against the tide series is a collaboration between the Guardian and the documentary photographer Polly Braden
