Arts festival celebrates town's young creatives

Young producers have worked with Swindon Borough Council to organise the festival

A two-week festival will celebrate and support Swindon's young creatives.

More than 70 events are taking place at Signal Festival, which has been created by young people.

Prime Theatre's artistic director Mark Powell said: "It is a signal that great things happen in Swindon, because people don't always believe that."

Career events, performances, workshops, gigs, exhibitions, screenings and discussions, which are either free or cost as little as £2, will run until Saturday 3 August.

Young producers have worked with Swindon Borough Council to organise the festival.

Mr Powell continued: "It's a signal that Swindon is worth attention and investment for its young people.

"It's also a signal for change - if a young person doesn't feel they can be involved with arts or creativity, or if they don't think there's a home for them as artists, no audience, no career or they don't know what to do with their education, it is a signal to explore opportunities."

Young producer Clarissa Boyce-Johnson has been helping to curate events.

"I come on as somebody that would be part of the target audience of the festival," she said.

"I've grown up in Swindon since 2005, when I was four.

"In all that time, up until fairly recently, I've not had the opportunities presented to me in terms of the local art scene and what you can do in Swindon."

Events will take place daily until 3 August.