Castle Bromwich Community Website

Castle Bromwich Community Festival which is set to kick off the Solihull Festival onSaturday September 11th is gearing itself up for a day of magnificent celebrations including music, dance, arts and crafts and lots of gunge, water, foam and fun with a charity fundraising "It's a Knockout" contest.

The Festival, which will be held in the grounds of Castle Bromwich Junior School, will boast an arena where there are 16 acts lined up to keep everyone entertained all day along with community stalls, a climbing wall and rodeo bull. Visitors will also be able to try their hand at circus skills and Bollywood dancing and enjoy free face painting and smoothies ensuring that there will be plenty to keep families happy from opening at 10.45 am till close at 5pm.

The event has been organised by the Castle Bromwich Community Project an entirely volunteer run organisation which undertakes projects designed to improve the quality of life in the areas it operates in. A fundamental objective of the Project is to ensure that young people have the opportunity to engage in activities which develop their capacities and skills, at the same time as enjoying themselves. The organisation of the Festival has provided the perfect opportunity for two young volunteers to learn more about event organisation and add some impressive details to their CVs.

Alex, aged 16, volunteered to assist with organising the Acts taking place in the arena. He will have been involved in the organisation right from the initial formulating of ideas through to the management of the event on the day. He has personally undertaken to promote the activities, find acts, and liaise with performers, to create a running order and to act as a sound engineer on the day. He has also personally enlisted the help of three other young volunteers to assist with the stage management on the day.

Ashleigh, aged 19, has also been involved throughout. He has acted as Secretary to the planning meetings, developed organisational systems, and helped to design and publish promotional literature,websites and press releases.

A spokesperson for the Project said, “The Festival has been a fantastic vehicle for young volunteers to work side by side with older members of the community. Different generations have shared skills and experiences learning from each other and developing a better understanding of each others’ perspectives.”