Reading's Readipop: Teens 'facing barriers' join stars for festival

The team at Readipop provide outreach programmes for young people in Reading

Young people with mental health issues and facing exclusion from school are among those performing at a festival where Sleeper, Jungle Brothers and Snapped Ankles will headline.

Reading's Readipop Festival will feature about 20 young people who have been able to access music, for free, through the charity.

Organisers said many of those it helps "are facing some barrier".

The festival starts at 17:00 BST and runs until Sunday.

The line-up at Christchurch Meadows also includes Professor Green, Roni Size and MF Tomlinson, as well as 31 local acts that have been selected by Readipop and BBC Introducing Berkshire.

Sleeper (pictured), Jungle Brothers and Snapped Ankles will headline the festival

Festival producer, Molly Banbury, said: "At Readipop we have created programmes and projects centred around accessing music to transform their lives."

She explained that "89% of the young people we are helping are facing some barrier", which includes "being at risk of being excluded from school, unemployed, coping with mental health, have special needs or are a young offender".

The projects include free one-to-one sessions, youth clubs and school workshops for 11 to 25-year-olds.

"It's all aspects of music from learning to play an instrument, to singing or writing songs and we let them produce it in one of our studios for our grassroots label," Ms Banbury added.

Also performing this year will be 31 different local acts that have been selected by the charity and BBC Introducing Berkshire.

Eva Rowlatt, festival co-ordinator, said: "Every Friday we hold a youth session night and they play their music. Last year, at the festival, they took over one of the stages and it was amazing, I was crying with pride."

She added: "This year they will all get a chance to perform again and they are more excited and better prepared - I can't wait to see it."

Money raised by the festival goes back to Readipop to help fund its sessions and renew instruments.