URC Children’s and Youth staff and volunteers have received a special word of thanks for their work at the Greenbelt Festival over the past four years.
From 2021 until this past summer, the URC Youth CYDO+ Team has been central to the youth provision and programming at the arts, politics and spirituality festival.
Greenbelt’s Creative Director, Paul Northup, has written to say: “We’ve found that working with a body of folk who already have a shared culture and understanding between them has brought a real strength and coherency to the task. We’ve felt really confident and comfortable with all that they’ve done in collaboration with us.”
Paul expressed gratitude to Sam Richards, Head of Children’s, Youth and Intergenerational Discipleship, for proposing the support in the first place, and to the individual URC Synod Children’s and Development Officers and wider volunteer youth workers, led by Judy Harris, Tom Hackett and Phil Ray.
“They’ve all brought a real creativity, commitment and compassion to the work,” Paul said. “A whole cohort of teenagers has effectively grown up at Greenbelt, benefitting from and belonging to the community in the youth venue.”
As part of the URC’s wider partnership with Greenbelt, a large group of volunteers, led by URC Head of Comms Andy Jackson, have also been running the family café venue onsite.
Booking is open for Greenbelt 2026, on the last weekend of August, at Boughton House, Kettering. Full details at www.greenbelt.org.uk