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Sandwell young people’s festival gets a goodwill boost

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A youth festival taking place in Sandwell Valley this weekend will be even brighter thanks to the generosity of two businesses.

On Saturday 13 July, Sandwell Valley will be the vibrant setting for SHAPE Youth Summer Fest 2024. This brings together young people and their families from across the region for fun and entertainment.

To ensure the event has the right kind of sparkle, Dodd Group and its contractor CPS are providing electrical engineering services and generators free of charge.

Features of the one-day festival include a Youth Zone with a UV rave tent and a Family Zone with dhol drumming workshops and giant Lego. The Sports Zone will have boxing, cycling and zorb football. Meanwhile, the Music Zone will have sets from several DJs, including Rena Sparks and eleven-year-old DJ Naziah.

Sandwell Council’s SHAPE Programme team is organising the festival, together with a range of services and partner organisations.

In an act of generosity, the mechanical and electrical engineering specialist Dodd Group has pledged 80 hours of free labour to set up the electrical systems for the festival. Its subcontractor CPS, which provides generators, is also offering its services free of charge. The companies are doing this as part of their social value commitment to the Constructing West Midlands (CWM) Framework. Through this, they supply services to Sandwell Council and its Urban Design and Building Services team.

Festival goers at a previous SHAPE Youth Summer Fest, visiting a stall of plants

Keen to give back to Sandwell

Matt Lewis is Managing Director of Dodd Group Property Services. He explained why the companies are delighted to donate work ‘in kind’ to SHAPE Youth Summer Fest 2024.

“Although the festival is free for people to access, there is a huge amount of work involved for Sandwell Council and the SHAPE Team in ensuring a big event like this is safe and enjoyable for everyone who attends.

“When we looked at what we could do as suppliers to fulfil our social value commitment to the CWM Framework, this youth festival was high on our list. We are keen to give back to Sandwell and its communities, and this is an event that will benefit many of the borough’s young people.

“By taking care of the electrical side of SHAPE Youth Summer Fest, we can allow the organisers to focus their energy and budget into delivering a fantastic day filled with music, activities and fun.”

Fancy going to the festival?

SHAPE Summer Youth Festival 2024 takes place from 12 noon to 8pm on Saturday 13 July, in Sandwell Valley, West Bromwich. Go to www.justyouth.org.uk/ysf to learn more.

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