A group of young people from Tynedale, through Hexham Youth Initiative, have raised thousands of pounds of crucial funding towards Selefest 2007, the popular free festival in Hexham which is all about expression.
Kieran Irwin, Patrick Doherty, Nick Kirk and Josh Carr made a great application bid to the Northumberland Y-Fund, administered by Changemakers, and were awarded an impressive £6,577. The fund gives young people the opportunity to make applications for projects they think will really make a difference.
Selefest happens on Saturday 7th July 12.30pm to 6pm, on the Sele in Hexham Parks in the centre of Hexham, and this is its fifth fantastic year. A lively mixture of extreme sports: blade, board, bmx; live bands, acoustic acts, dance, graffiti workshops, acrobatics and much more.
The Y-Fund funding will contribute to key attractions at the heart of the festival such as giving young people the chance to come and join professional riders and skaters from Team Extreme on the skate park for a day of demos, competitions and coaching; a 7.5 metre climbing wall for all ages, a great graffiti wall for everyone to get creative on; workshops, and funding for making a film record of the event with the Haltwhistle Film Project.
Josh Carr, age 15 said:
"We've raised funding for Team Extreme, the climbing wall, workshops and lots of paint and equipment for the graffiti wall to generally make the festival more enjoyable".
Nick Kirk, age 13 said:
"I feel good about it, because it's the first application that we've done. Its satisfying that its been so successful and we've raised £6,577.
Other attractions at Selefest this year will include the popular Hang Trapeze Act and workshops; Terpsichore Dance, both back by popular demand, lots of live music, acoustic sets, workshops, fairground rides, a bouncy castle and more.
Selefest is now core funded by Tynedale Council, in recognition of its importance to the young people of Tynedale, with additional funding from the Hexham Courant, as well as Northumberland Y-Fund. A contribution has been made by Egger (UK) Ltd, and this year several parish councils in the district have also contributed to the funding and these are Newbrough, Slaley, Horsley, Wylam, and Haltwhistle Town Council.
Susi Goncu, Tynedale Council's Community Development Officer said: "Tynedale Council has recognised the importance of this event for local young people and is itself providing £13,000 of core funding for Selefest. This is a real initiative for young people in Tynedale led by young people, and the funding will make a significant contribution to the success of the event. "
Each year officers from Tynedale Council work with a steering group to stage the festival consisting of young people and a range of supportive organizations, including Hexham Youth Initiative, Queen Elizabeth High School Youth Initiative, Terry Hollingsworth from 10X Better; and Imogen Hollingsworth from Terpsichore Dance.
Anne-May Pottage, Tynedale Council's Parks and Open Spaces Officer, who co-ordinates the event said: "Selefest is very much the young people's own festival, brought about by requests from youngsters who use the skate park in Hexham Parks.
"Once again they have been involved in planning this major event, and for 2007 we are building on the success of previous years with a very exciting programme indeed, which we hope every young person in the Tynedale community will enjoy."
Selefest is aimed at eight to 25 year olds, and attracts 1,500 to 2,000 visitors from Tynedale and all over the region.
Selefest is an alcohol free zone. Marshals will not allow alcohol onto the site. Young people under 13 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
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