BY JOHN JACKLIN
Unique annual jamboree for young people in South Oxfordshire returns bigger and better
PREPARATIONS for the Henley Youth Festival come to fruition across the town this month as the event returns with another chock-a-block programme for a celebration that organisers believe is one of a kind.
The festival has gone from strength to strength since it was first staged in 1994 with more than 1,500 young people, aged five to 18, participating in almost 40 mixed events and activities from March 2 to
March 14.
After the programme of school workshops, a fun run at Henley Rugby Club and Swiss Farm marks an escalation and more public focus of the festival, which is a showcase for the achievements and skills of young people but also aims to give them a taste of activities that they may not come across but for the festival.
Michaela Clarke, the chairwoman of the festival, says: “We hope that the theme for 2026 of Amazing Animals will inspire the young people to go ‘wild’ with their imagination whether that be in their performances or their entries for competitions.
“After taking over as chairwoman for 2025, which was a consolidation year, we’ve recruited some new volunteers and we have had a longer time to plan an expanded programme. I remember when my children were younger, they couldn’t wait to find out what was new in the Henley Youth Festival programme and workshops booked booked out quickly. I’m delighted to bring back the chess tournament as my son enjoyed competing in that and add to the sports programme this year. We hope that the photography competition, back after a few years’ break will be popular — we’re looking for images of amazing pets. We know lots of people have dogs now so perhaps we’ll get photos of dogs in a bath reading a book?”
‘The festival is unique, I don’t know of anything like it in Britain’
Michaela, who lives in Henley, took over as chairwoman from Laura Matthews who spent three years in the role and had previously helped organise the event. “I was on the steering committee of the festival organising out-of-school workshops when my children were younger, between 2006 and 2012. When I heard that they were struggling to find a new chairman or chairwoman, I put my hat back on and I was delighted to return.”
Michaela, who has lived in Henley with her family for more than 35 years and has run 1st Henley Brownies for 20 years, said: “I came back because it’s such an amazing festival and an opportunity for children to get involved in things that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to, such as performing on stage at the Kenton Theatre.”
The Henley Youth Festival steering group, trustees and event co-ordinators
Michaela Clarke, chairwoman; Alison Flower, trustee; Anna Parslew, music makers; Charlene Brown, art, film and photography competition; Clint Botha, Henley Youth Festival run; Daniel Sadler, school workshops; Denise Williams, trustee; Elizabeth Crowdy, young reporter; Ellen Cooper, PR/social media and young reporter; Gemma Gove, school workshops; Gik Silsaveekul, art, film and photography competition; Jo Dickson, trustee and sponsorship; Julia Carey, art, film and photography competition; Kate Swinburne-Johnson, trustee; Katie Campbell, young variety; Nick Horne, gig night; Laura Law, performing arts; Sally Mowbray, clerk to the trustees; Sarah Bell, writing competition; Sophia Palmer, creative brick challenge; Steph Maxwell, senior variety; Tim Hoskins, trustee.
The festival is open to all young people who attend or live in the catchment area for schools such as Badgemore, Bishopswood, Kidmore End, Nettlebed, Peppard, Sacred Heart, Shiplake Primary, Sonning Common, Trinity, Valley Road, Gillotts, Chiltern Edge or go to St Mary’s, Rupert House, Shiplake College and Henley College. Spaces are sometimes available for people who live outside the Henley area.
Michaela says: “The secret of its success is the festival is unique. I don’t know of anything like it in Britain that offers young people the opportunity to enjoy art, music, performance, sport, shows, workshops and competitions.
“The festival would not be successful though without the enthusiasm for it from the young people and the volunteers who help put it on each year. I am delighted that we have recruited some new volunteers for this year including some that, not long ago, took part in the festival themselves.
And the goals for the future “will be led by the young people as to what they want and we’re trying a few new things this year. We want to create a buzz around the programme with what’s new. We want to continue to recruit and build our volunteer base to bring fresh ideas to the table.”
She adds: “The fondness for the Henley Youth Festival for me is to see the smiles on the young peoples’ faces whether that be on the stage at The Kenton or enjoying a school workshop or show.
“We hope that the young people take those special memories too. For some, the Youth Festival is just the beginning – the first step to performing on a bigger stage or exhibiting their art to a wider audience.” The new sports this year will include a mixed netball tournament organised by Henley Hawks Netball Club for Years 4-8 and an after-school club fencing workshop in partnership with VF Fencing Club for Years 6-11 at Gillotts School.
There will be three nights of shows for young people to perform on The Kenton Stage and Music Makers for younger children at Rupert House. Anything goes for Young or Senior Variety on March 11 and 12. March 13 is Gig Night for bands or soloists.
School workshops and shows involve birds of prey, art, photography, circus skills, science shows, African dancing and drumming, animal-inspired flamenco dance, Explorerdome science shows and the Globe Theatre will perform What You Will, an introduction to Shakespeare plays for Years 5 & 6 and An Inspector Calls for Gillotts students Years 10 & 11.
‘I am delighted that we have recruited some new volunteers for this year including some that, not long ago, took part in the festival themselves’
The Creative Brick Challenge (LEGO), chess tournament, photography, popular writing, young reporter, art and film are topics in the competitions part of the festival.
The finale on Saturday March 14 is an animal-themed Farmyard Fun day at Badgemore School where children can feed and see various animals at close quarters.
The festival is run entirely by volunteers with a steering group of 20 members. There are several sub-groups and specific roles involving a further 40 or more helpers, of which school representatives have a vital role to play in liaising with the staff and pupils and encouraging the children to take part.
The festival traces its roots back to 1993 and grew out of a desire to bolster the image of young people and to try to counter a negative public perception of them at the time and gained the backing of Michael Heseltine, who was the MP for Henley.
KATHRYN FELL, 49, a professional photographer who runs creative workshops at the festival, says: “I have been involved for seven or eight years now. I was approached to, well in fact one of the trustees came to speak at a business network event I helped run, to speak about the importance of the event.
“I’m all for being involved in the community and trying to give back where I can, and it really appealed to me.
“I fly the flag for the arts and the creatives that often get cutbacks and are not necessarily seen as a credible career path. I teach digital photography in primary schools.
“The festival has a different theme each year. This year it is Amazing Animals, so I adapt my digital photography workshops to fit that theme. Last year was friends, so I concentrated more on portraits.”
Kathryn, who lives in Sonning Common with husband Richard and two sons aged five and 12, adds: “I talk a bit about how to edit on the children’s mobile phones, but sometimes children today can teach you things because they just know everything technical-wise, so I make it a proactive, interactive session for them, and the idea is just to help them get creative.
“So I’ve been asked to judge the photography competition, and I’m really looking forward to that.”
Part of the reward for Kathryn is the feedback. “I have had people come up to me and say their child … is really enjoying photography, and that’s really lovely.
“If I can spark interest in a hobby, or they just be a bit more mindful and slow down on a holiday or a day out and notice things, or enjoy being in nature and noticing how light is at the hour after sunrise and hour before sunset, I talk a lot about that, I could bore people all day about light, but that’s often sort of quite a nice thing for children, because the next time they go away out for the day, you can help them sort of enjoy it a bit more.
“I just love being involved in the festival and sharing my passion with like-minded people.”
Founders aimed to redress a poor press for youngsters
ALFIE HAY, a co-founder of the festival and a former headmaster of Trinity School in Henley, says: “In 1993 two parents, Felicity Rutland and Janine Voss, who was mayor at that time, joined me to discuss a way to improve the existing negative attitude in the press towards young people.
“There had been several articles denigrating them and, especially as we had children in this age group, it concerned us. In the previous summer, I had led an event on the Henley Festival site, called the Thames Pageant, that involved all the local schools. This seemed a good model. The aim was to involve children in as many ways as possible to celebrate their skills and achievements.
“First we invited them to design a motif for the festival, which in the early years gained more than 100 entries each year. The first event was the music makers, which still features, with the idea that children should perform music together in small groups, including bands. (There already was a competition for solo musicians run by the Rotary Club).”
Mr Hay, 80, a composer who lives in Bix, says: “We aimed to publicise and celebrate activities such as sport and the arts which children already achieved, and we included excerpts from shows from the Kenton featuring children. We also brought all the schools together for a choral work that I composed called Henley Seasons.
“In the following years, more and more activities were included, often depending upon the skills and enthusiasm of volunteers. Increasingly, we built a platform of sponsors so that we could seek out professional groups such as the Young Shakespeare Company to give wider horizons to children.
“There has been no area of art, sport or science which has not been explored. This all depends upon the magnanimity of local people who have adopted this festival as their own and it is run entirely by volunteers with great enthusiasm.
“One area which we have had to restrict is the bringing together of large numbers of young people for singing together. The last time we did this was when we performed in the Hexagon at Reading with 400 children. We need a large auditorium in Henley, which could also meet the needs of the Henley Symphony Orchestra and Choral Society. Anyone up for converting the River and Rowing Museum?
“The festival feeds on the energy of our young people channelled into new events each year.”
He adds: “And we always need additional volunteers.”
www.hyf.org.uk