From Scrap Yard Graft to Youth Opportunity: Why Terry Walker and The Scrappers Stand With Young People
Posted on:
Discover how Terry Walker — founder of The Scrappers scrap yard, an award-winning TV series uses his lived experience, care background, and hard-earned success to support Genuine Futures.
Read how his graft at 11, time in children’s care, and meeting with Keir inspire real opportunities for young people.
Terry Walker: From Hard Graft to Heartfelt Leadership — Why He Stands With Our Young People
When Terry Walker speaks about supporting Genuine Futures, he speaks from a place few truly understand. His story is built on lived experience — years of hardship, resilience, spells in children’s care, and the determination to carve out a future he was never handed.
Terry wasn’t given opportunities.
He created them.
At just 11 years old, Terry was already grafting, learning discipline, survival, and work ethic long before most young people reach their first job. Those early years — marked by instability and care placements — demanded toughness, grit, and the ability to keep pushing.
That same grit helped him build The Scrappers scrap yard into one of Bolton’s most well-known family businesses and the focus of an award-winning television series watched across the UK.
Today, despite his success, Terry has never forgotten where he came from — or the young boy he once was.
“Because of where I came from…”
When Terry meets the young people at the Young Futures Hub, he sees the echoes of his own journey.
The struggle.
The uncertainty.
The fire waiting for direction.
He recognises all of it — because he lived it.
His words capture the heart of his commitment:
“Because of where I came from… it’s close to my heart not to ignore the kids.
I want to help them do something — to get that mindset, the work ethic.”
Helping young people isn’t a gesture for Terry.
It’s who he is.
It’s a responsibility shaped by lived experience.
It’s a calling.
A Moment That Says Everything — Terry Meets Keir
One of the most powerful recent moments at The Scrappers was Terry meeting Keir, a young person building confidence, skills, and routine through Genuine Futures.
Two journeys.
Two generations.
One shared belief in graft, discipline, and possibility.
Terry saw a younger version of himself in Keir — someone eager to learn, ready to work, and capable of so much more than life has yet allowed him to show.
And for Keir, meeting someone who had come through care, overcome hardship, and built a thriving scrap yard business was more than inspiring.
It was proof that a tough start does not equal a closed future.
This is what youth opportunity looks like — real stories, real belief, real connection.
A Partnership Built on Real Action — Not Words
Terry’s support for Genuine Futures goes far beyond encouragement.
Our team is deeply grateful for his generous in-kind donations, which have enabled us to:
- build and equip the Young Futures Hub
- develop safe and practical training spaces
- launch and grow We Shine Any Car
- provide tools, materials, and equipment
- create hands-on work environments
- expand enterprise pathways and skills development
These contributions have transformed what we can deliver.
They’ve strengthened our programmes and opened doors young people never thought possible.
This is real action.
Real investment.
Real community leadership.
Where Graft Meets Opportunity
Thanks to Terry and The Scrappers, the Young Futures Hub has become:
- a place of belonging
- a place to learn life and work skills
- a place to gain real work experience
- a place where confidence grows
- a place where young people feel seen
- a place where futures begin to shine
This is what happens when lived experience meets opportunity.
When a scrap yard becomes a launchpad.
When belief becomes action.
Help Us Back Young People Today
If you believe every young person deserves a chance to rise, to graft, and to shine, you can stand with us — just like Terry:
Visit We Shine Any Car — open Monday & Thursday, 10am–4pm
Partner with us to create youth opportunities
Sponsor tools, equipment, or training sessions
Volunteer your skills or mentor a young person
Support the Young Futures Hub
Champion youth-led enterprise and lived-experience leadership
Sign the Young Futures That Shine Charter
Join a growing movement committed to fairness, opportunity, and second chances.
The Young Futures That Shine Charter is a shared commitment to:
- empower young people
- elevate youth voice
- reduce barriers
- create enterprise pathways
- champion lived experience
- build communities where every young person belongs
Sign the Charter:
www.genuinefutures.co.uk/the-f
Your signature is more than support — it’s a statement of what you stand for.
What do YOU stand for?
Join us.
Stand with young people.
And help build futures that truly shine.