Young Carers Festival Adapts With Smaller Attendance, Focuses on Celebration and Support
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The annual Young Carers Festival (YCF), the world's largest gathering for young carers, will proceed this summer with a theme of 'celebrating you' and a full itinerary of activities. Attendance for the 2025 event is roughly half of its original numbers due to funding constraints. The festival, a partnership between the YMCA Fairthorne Group and The Children’s Society, provides a crucial break for children aged 11 to 17 who have caring responsibilities.
Facts First
- The 2025 Young Carers Festival will proceed with a theme of 'celebrating you' and activities including live music, workshops, and a fireworks display.
- Attendance is about half of original numbers due to a lack of funding, with a spot costing £140.
- The festival is run by the YMCA Fairthorne Group and The Children’s Society and is held at an outdoor activity centre in Hampshire.
- The Children’s Society offers travel grants, though demand for this assistance exceeds supply.
- The 2021 UK census recorded approximately 120,000 young carers, though other estimates place the number in the hundreds of thousands.
What Happened
The Young Carers Festival (YCF), an annual residential weekend for children aged 11 to 17 with caring responsibilities, will be held this summer at YMCA Fairthorne Manor in Hampshire. The festival's theme is 'celebrating you', and its itinerary includes live music, fun fair rides, a firework display, painting, inflatables, yoga, mental health workshops, and a chill-out zone. Attendance for the 2025 event is roughly half of the more than 1,500 young carers it originally hosted, a reduction attributed to a lack of funding. A spot at the festival, including a tent, costs £140.
Why this Matters to You
If you or someone you know is a young person helping to care for a family member, this festival represents a rare opportunity for respite and community. The available travel grants from The Children’s Society could make attendance possible for some families facing financial barriers, though high demand means not all who apply will receive one. For the broader community, the festival's continued operation highlights the ongoing need to support hundreds of thousands of young carers across the UK.
What's Next
The festival will take place as scheduled this summer, offering a programmed break for attending young carers. The funding challenges that have reduced attendance may persist, potentially limiting the event's reach in future years. Continued partnership between the YMCA Fairthorne Group and The Children’s Society will be essential to maintain this support service.