'World's biggest' festival for young carers taking place this weekend

Timothy Edgley

25 June 2024 at 10:30 pm·2-min read

Young carers festival at YMCA Fairthorne Manor - Fun on the river in canoes.. <i>(Image: Stock)</i> — Young carers festival at YMCA Fairthorne Manor - Fun on the river in canoes.. *(Image: Stock)*

More than 1,000 children will head to Hampshire this weekend for 'the world's largest festival' for young carers.

The Children's Society will welcome 1,000 11 to 17-year-olds to the Young Carers Festival 2024 at YMCA Fairthorne Manor near Botley for the three-day event.

Dubbed by organisers as the 'world's largest festival for young carers', the event offers young people with caring responsibilities an opportunity to have fun, unwind, make friends, and share new experiences.

A number of activities will be available including fairground rides, live music, outdoor movies, fireworks, and a disco.

The festival also has an official radio station giving festivalgoers the chance to share their views, talk about their lives, and request their favourite songs.

One Young carer who attended last year’s event said: “I really enjoyed the festival. It made me think a lot about my caring role, even though I was chilled out.

"Speaking to others made me realise what I do is important but that I matter too. I got to speak about how I feel, especially at school, and got to talk about ways to get teachers to understand our lives at home, which I don’t always think they do.

"It has made me hopeful that one day schools will get it.”

This year’s theme is "Shine Bright, Speak Out" which organisers say 'underlines the importance of young carers being encouraged to embrace their unique experiences'.

The event has been running continuously since 2000 and is reliant on donations from the public to take place.

Lisa Witherden, Head of National Programmes at The Children’s Society, said: “The Young Carer’s Festival is one of our favourite events every year because we love to see the extent to which it provides an opportunity for young carers to take a break and have fun. For some it may be the only opportunity they have in the year to have a holiday.

“Young carers make an incredible contribution to our society and their families, and the festival is a great way to shine a spotlight on the positive impact their caring has.

“We’re delighted that the festival has been so impactful: It has inspired other festivals for young carers across the globe, and we hear of fantastic stories from young carers who have attended about how the memories they made at the festival have stayed with them for years afterwards”.

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