THE Arts Taunton charity has announced the dates of an arts festival run for and by young people in the area.

Funding has been secured from a number of sources for the Taunton Youth Culture and Arts Festival, including Arts Council England and Taunton Town Council.

Arts Taunton is continuing fundraising efforts to allow it to roll out the biggest youth festival Somerset has ever seen.

Dates for this year are:

  • June 11 – TYCA School Theatre Festival at the Tacchi Morris Arts Centre;
  • July 13 - TYCA Festival Main Event - Somerset Square and the Brewhouse Theatre;
  • September 28 - The TYCA Stage at Taunton Together.

The charity announced further good news as it has been selected by Big Give’s national match funding campaign.

The Big Give week will run from March 19 to 26 and donations received that week will be matched, pound for pound.

All funds raised will go directly into supporting TYCA’s frontline arts engagement in schools, colleges, youth centres, Pupil Referral Units, parks and other locations.

Representing the TYCA festival, artistic director Jackie Clements said: “We are working to ensure that all young people within our catchment area, regardless of background, have access to high quality arts opportunities from the point of first engagement, right through to professional practice.”

The charity is appealing to anyone that would like to support young people in this way, to donate via the Big Give campaign which will double the value of their donation.

It has further pledged that everyone who donates £10 or more will receive free tickets for one of the fun fundraising events in May.

Jackie added: “Now more than ever, we need the community to come together to save the local arts ecosystem from public funding cuts.

"It is an incredibly exciting time to be part of TYCA Festival.

"We are building something really special, and I get to see the immensely positive impact that the creative arts can have upon young people's lives up close.

“It is also an extremely challenging economic climate. This Big Give campaign gives us the opportunity to show national funding bodies just how much the people of Taunton care about our local arts ecosystem."

For more information on TYCA’s Big Give campaign visit tycafestival.co.uk