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Crystal Palace Festival appeals to provide creative futures

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The Crystal Palace Festival has launched an appeal to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic on young people from local housing estates.

Sound check: Crystal Palace youngsters are being given the chance to shine

Festival director Noreen Meehan said “It has become very obvious that the pandemic is having a disproportionately negative effect on some people’s lives, not least young people.

“The realisation of this led us to spend some time this year speaking with local young people as we thought that they might need our help more than ever now.

“It was heartbreaking to hear how much they feel that they have not been listened to during the pandemic and yet their education and future chances in life are being so badly affected.

“They are in need of our support. We want to help them have some fun and learn new skills this summer with our Creative Futures project.”

Creative Futures will support up to 150 young people on three housing estates in Crystal Palace – Kingswood, St Hugh’s and Central Hill. It will give them creative opportunities to work with professional artists, give them new skills to help them find employment and performance opportunities, including at the new festival to come to Crystal Palace Park – South Facing Festival.

Noreen Meehan: halfway to £6,000 fund target

Meehan and her team have already secured £1,500 for this project from local businesses, including Vita Health Group, who say that they are looking forward to “an amazing arts and culture showcase”.

Other local businesses supporting the campaign are Martin & Co, Bambino, Urban Cellar and Four Boroughs. The Childhood Trust are also supporting the campaign.

With £3,000 already secured in pledges, the festival charity team need to secure another £3,000 in donations to be able to deliver the project.

From June 8 to 16, the week of The Big Give, public donations can be made via the festival website crystalpalacefestival.org to help them reach their target of £6,000.


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