With unemployment running at twice the national average, and further redundancies in the shipyards, the age of leisure has come early for many of Sunderland's youngsters. Michael is 16, on the dole, and buying a £300 guitar on HP. His recently-formed group - The Rejected - is receiving encouragement from the local community theatre, which also faces redundancies as government cutbacks begin to bite. What use is Sunderland's £7-million leisure centre and its pedestrian precincts to Michael's generation? Indeed, what will make things all right for these kids?
