New Boardmasters area launched to help young people

Charity Young People Cornwall has launched a new area at this year's Boardmasters

A new area has been set up at Boardmasters where young people can go if they have concerns or need a break.

If festival-goers feel like something "is not right" or they have concerns about an incident they can head to Young People Cornwall's centre on Whitegate Road in Newquay.

The charity's safe space is open from 10:00 to 14:00 BST each day from Thursday to Monday to provide support for 11 to 25 year olds.

Jemma Verran, participation manager at the charity, said the trial had been set up following feedback from previous festivals.

Ms Verran said the space could be used by young people who wanted to take a break from Boardmasters and talk about any worries they have.

"As an organisation, we already run support hubs where young people are able to drop in and those operate across the county," she added.

"So we know having that support at the right time without having to wait or just having someone to check in with to say 'this doesn't feel right' or 'I'm not really sure about this' in that moment can be massively beneficial to young people."

Organisers of the festival, which runs until Sunday, and emergency service crews who are manning the site said one of their priorities was to make sure people felt safe.

Supt Ben Asprey, from Devon and Cornwall Police, added: "We are committed to ensuring that everyone attending the festival can enjoy themselves in a safe and secure environment."

Acts performing at this year's event include Raye, Central Cee, The Prodigy, Nelly Furtado, London Grammar and The Wombats.