Selefest succeeds with Milecastle's support

Milecastle was one of the key sponsors for the Selefest youth event held in Hexham on Saturday, July 17th. The Hexham Courant published a full page feature the following week, quoting Milecastle chair Anne Moyle on why it's so important for us to establish links with young people in Tynedale. Here is the full text of the Courant piece with pictures by photographer Helen Smith.

Lovely bubbly!

IT WAS a bubble bath gone mad - but, boy, did they enjoy the good clean fun at the heart of Selefest.

Watched by envious folk too old to qualify, youngsters rolled in the foam pit until they looked like they needed pegging out to dry.

It was just one of a plethora of activities that kept hundreds entertained all day long at Hexham's annual youth festival on Saturday.

Four separate stages - two on the Sele, one at the bandstand and one in the Forum cinema - boasted a wide range of local talent, from solo artists to bands, and folk to heavy rock.

The event was organised by Tynedale Youth Forum, and secretary Sean Soulsby said: "Six months ago, Selefest wasn't going to happen.

"But the members of the Youth Forum rallied round and I think it's been a real success.

"It just goes to show that despite the current economic climate, if you work hard you can achieve your goal."

Between them Milecastle Housing, Northumberland Care Trust, Sure Start and Northumberland County Council donated £16,000 to rescue the beleaguered festival.

The programme, organised by Hexham-based social enterprise Core Music, was designed to provide the entertainers and the entertained alike with the opportunity for some fun.

Founder and director of Core Music, Mike Coleman, said: "This is the first time we've had two stages on the Sele, but we wanted to give as many people as possible the opportunity to play in front of a live audience.

"Generally speaking, I think this has been a really good Selefest - there's been a lot of laughter and a lot of fun."

Up and coming, and very accomplished, Haydon Bridge band the Pikey Beatz topped the bill, playing to an audience bolstered by a cohort of loyal fans.

Big Leg, Recall, Dead Cat Bounce, Furthest Point Beyond, and vocalist Carys John were just a few of the other performers to take to the Sele stages.

Meanwhile home-grown talent Calien Stewart, Halima Leifert and Nicky Kirk were among those to play in the acoustic set at the Forum.

Team Extreme made a welcome return to the half-pipes with their gravity-defying displays on skateboards and BMX bikes.

And festival-goers got to test their own ability, too, thanks to a circus skills workshop and a laser war arena.

Selefest also had an eye to the future, though, with the presence of organisations keen to raise their profile among young people.

Birch Forest Schools, which aims to establish itself as a social enterprise in Tynedale, is passing on a love of woodlands and woodland activities to a new generation.

Children enjoyed sitting in a yurt or around a campfire, whittling wood and making woven God's Eye decorations to hang in the trees.

A few stalls down, housing association Milecastle gave out 250 bags containing information about its services.

Chair Anne Moyle said: "The average house price is £250,000 - how do young people get on the property ladder? Where do they go?

"Selefest gives us an ideal opportunity to interact with young people and to make them aware of Milecastle."