Accrington Youth Fest puts young people centre stage
Young people took centre stage in Accrington on Saturday 15th August as Place For Youth delivered a packed day of free activities, live performances and opportunities as part of Accrington Youth Fest.
Delivered across Broadway and Blackburn Road in Accrington town centre, the event brought together a wide range of organisations and activity providers to create a vibrant day designed around young people and their interests.
The event was funded by Hyndburn Borough Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, helping to ensure that all of the activities on offer were completely free for children, young people and families to enjoy.
Throughout the day, visitors had the chance to try their hand at BMX riding with Dirt Factory, take to a pop-up skate park provided by Send It Skatepark and test themselves on a climbing wall from Alternative Adventure.
The Teenage Market also formed part of the event, giving young traders the opportunity to showcase their businesses in the town centre, while Lancashire Libraries joined a range of community organisations engaging with young people throughout the day.
Young talent takes centre stage
Live performance was at the heart of Youth Fest, with a programme of young musicians, dancers and performers taking to the stage throughout the event.
Performers included Matilda River Walden, The Locals, Fresh Skillz International Breakdance and seven-year-old Paige, alongside Retra Velvet.
One of the standout moments of the day came when Frankie Dale joined Retra Velvet on stage for an impromptu performance, capturing the spontaneous and supportive atmosphere that Youth Fest was designed to create.
Fresh Skillz also brought breakdancing and DJ activity to the event, giving visitors another opportunity to experience and get involved with youth culture in the heart of the town centre.
Creating a town centre for young people
Accrington Youth Fest was developed to provide young people with more reasons to spend time in the town centre and to create opportunities for them to participate rather than simply attend.
The event also attracted wider attention on the day, with Place For Youth featuring live on BBC Radio Lancashire to talk about the importance of providing free, interactive activities for young people and families during the summer holidays.
The interview provided an opportunity to highlight why accessible, no-cost activity matters, particularly during the school break, and how town centres can play an important role in giving young people positive, social and creative experiences close to home.
For Place For Youth, events such as the Youth Fest demonstrate the role that young people can play in bringing energy, creativity and activity into high streets and town centres when they are given the space and opportunity to do so.
The event also provided an opportunity for different organisations working with and for young people to come together in one place, creating a varied programme with something for a wide range of ages and interests.
A partnership effort
The Youth Fest was delivered by Place For Youth with the support of a fantastic group of partners including Send It Skatepark, Dirt Factory, Alternative Adventure, The Teenage Market, Lancashire Libraries and Fresh Skillz International Breakdance Event.
We would also like to thank Hyndburn Borough Council for supporting and funding the event through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, helping us to make the entire programme free to access.
Deputy Mayor of Hyndburn, Councillor Stewart Eaves, also visited Youth Fest during the day to show his support for the young people taking part.
Most importantly, a huge thank you goes to everyone who came into Accrington town centre and got involved.
Seeing so many children and young people enjoying themselves, trying new activities, supporting young performers and spending time together in the town centre was exactly what Youth Fest was created to achieve.
We hope the event has helped demonstrate what is possible when young people are placed at the centre of activity in our towns and given opportunities to participate, create and be seen.
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