Simon Marsh

What inspired you to join OnSide? 

Places like Future Youth Zone, near where I spent my early years, matter deeply to me. Growing up, my family faced real struggles—at times, we ran out of electricity or food, and a major moment in my teens was being evicted from our home. I often felt isolated and acted out, taking risks. But I was lucky, and life turned out well. Others weren’t as fortunate—like my friend Zane, who died from one of the risks we took. I can’t help but think how different things might have been if we’d had a Youth Zone—a positive place for friendship, fun, and creativity. 

What’s been a memorable moment you’ve had working with the team?  

Working for OnSide is a blast, really lovely team who are super ambitious for young people. The standout moment for me was mucking in with Izzy Russell and the Young People’s Development Group in Grimsby who together led a successful £2.7M bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support Horizon Youth Zone. This included Izzy presenting in person to the Chair of NLHF their bold (and successful) request for ‘fact finding’ residentials to a former whaling town in Massachusetts! Having previously worked in higher education research funding, this blew my mind and set the tone going forward.

What was the first Youth Zone you visited and what did you think?  

I grew up near Future Youth Zone, where I’m now proud to be an OnSide Nominated Trustee. Grimsby was my first fundraising project where I really felt I’d made a difference. But I’ll always remember my interview at Unitas. Afterward, I sat in the car and smiled at the thought of being part of a charity that builds places like this – it felt like something I really wanted to be part of.

What would be your go-to Youth Zone room and why?

The music room. It’s one of the most untapped pools of talent from Carlisle down to Croydon —every day, incredible music is made in Youth Zones by young people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to studio time, quality instruments, or expert support. But here, you can literally record a track for 50p! You can also mess around, sing karaoke, and just explore music in a space full of encouragement and creativity.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself

I once played a gig and met my comedy hero, Rob Newman. He had a ukulele with The Clash stencilled on it and kindly said he liked my songs. Desperate to impress him with something original and thought-provoking, I asked, “How did you get The Clash stencilled on your instrument?” He paused, then simply said, “Stencil.” And walked off.