CONNOR Allen wanted to be a doctor so he could save lives. Now, he strives to heal people through grief, betrayal and the full scale of human adversity with his words.

Mr Allen grew up with his mum and younger brother on Newport's Hammond Drive estate.

“It’s interesting looking at it from the eyes of a 31-year-old," he said. "When I was younger, it was like a concrete playground. We’d play what we called gang tag, spend all day climbing trees, hiding in bushes.

“We played football in the car park at the end of the street.”

But between the fun and games, Mr Allen was on a long and testing journey with his emotions. He grew up with an absent father. He lost his best friend, his nan, and another friend.

“I’m feeling these emotions but I don’t know what these feelings are, my body’s just doing it,” he remembers. Still grappling with his own grief, he realised he wanted to become a doctor to save lives and ultimately stop others feeling the same indescribable pain.

He achieved all his GCSE grades at Lliswerry High. But outside the school gates, he says he was following a “destructive path”.

One common argument with his mother turned physical, leading to the teenager being arrested and charged with assault, battery, and grievous bodily harm.

Mr Allen pleaded guilty and avoided prison time with a suspended sentence - something he feels he owes to the teachers who wrote an open letter to the judge asking for him not to “get lost” in the criminal justice system.

“I’m living proof that second chances exist,” Mr Allen said. He went to medical school to train as a doctor - and realised within two weeks it wasn't the path he wanted to follow after all.

He went to university to train as an actor, and in the decade since graduating from Trinity St David, has penned award-winning poetry, created a semi-autobiographical theatre show, and – for the past two years – held the title of Children’s Laureate Wales.

“For the people on the estate, it’s huge,” he said. “They’re seeing a positive representation – a kid who lives four doors away who’s not dealing drugs or on benefits, because they’re the only two narratives we ever have on council estates.”

Mr Allen says the biggest pressure is maintaining a good influence on the local youngsters, many of whom will stop and talk to him on the street. He says he attracted a lot of attention while filming the trailer for his theatre debut The Making of a Monster and had two parents separately thank him for showing their kids there was more to life.

“They don’t fully understand what a Children’s Laureate is, but they understand that I’m doing something,” Mr Allen said. “When I applied, I didn’t even know what a laureate was.”

South Wales Argus: 'The people of Newport are built from steel''The people of Newport are built from steel' (Image: Sam Portillo)

Founded in 2019, the Children’s Laureate role goes to a visionary Wales-based writer who is passionate about engaging and empowering young people. Mr Allen is only the second person to hold the role, succeeding Eloise Williams who was the Patron of Reading at Newport’s Jubilee Park Primary School.

But his sources of inspiration are his lived experiences and art that he enjoys. “I grew up on rap and grime, that energy and culture,” he said. “Most rappers are just storytellers – they’re telling stories in their lyrics.”

Following the success of The Making of a Monster, Mr Allen is using the facilities at Sherman Theatre in Cardiff to develop a sequel which he hopes will become the second of a trilogy.

“It’s just work,” he says. “But it’s tackling big topics and tackling it in a way that makes it accessible. My work is going to be big because I need it to reach people. There’s other people that feel like me.

“How do I navigate being Connor from a council estate, from a single-mum background, and being this person that bare people look up to and find inspiration in? It’s mad. I struggle sometimes.”

Mr Allen has also found purpose in supporting his friend’s son, Jace, who is now 11.

“It’s mad how much impact you can have on one person – the way he talks, the way he acts, the way he sees the world. I can see my input,” he said.

“I never want him to feel like he’s not good enough, because he is. For love, attention, care – for everything."

South Wales Argus: Connor and best friend JaceConnor and best friend Jace (Image: Connor Allen)

“It scares me sometimes, I don’t have the words for how much I love this kid.”

Mr Allen’s work has given him opportunities far and wide. In 2015, he represented Wales at the Monologue Slam competition in London, and he returned to London last month to meet King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle.

 

But he still lives in the same Newport estate, surrounded by many of the same people he grew up with.

“The thing I love about Newport is every person and every place has a story. And everyone knows that story,” he said.

“The people of Newport are built from steel. The steel from Llanwern, man. It’s in our bones.

"People are paying mad extortionate rents, living in adverse poverty. We’ll still have a smile on our face, bring our glasses up to cheers, we’ll still tell our stories and we’ll still come together.”