The annual youth festival in West Bridgford clocked up its biggest attendance since Bridgfest became a regular event on the summer calendar. Out of the 1,200 plus young people who went along to the day of free music, sport and fun, 700 of those also signed up to a charter of non-violence, condemning the recent spate of anti-social behaviour demonstrated by a small number of people in some of Britain’s cities.
Nottinghamshire County Council leader, Kay Cutts, who spent the afternoon joining in activities and chatting to youngsters, said: “Young people often get a raw deal in the press and with older generations, who perceive them to be troublemakers and up to no good, but the reality is that this is only a very small minority.
“Most of the young people were also keen to sign up to the charter to show their public condemnation of the recent violence across the country, which shows the strength of feeling that exists among the younger generation.”
Supt Paul Anderson of Nottinghamshire Police added: “It was great to see such a large group of young people coming together to enjoy the event. In light of what happened recently, we are really pleased Bridgfest went ahead and all those who attended
behaved impeccably.”
Twelve rock and pop youth bands from the Rushcliffe area performed on the main stage and the urban marquee hosted MCing, DJing, street dance and poetry. The fun activities on offer, including body zorbs, sumo wrestling with inflatable suits, graffiti art and circus skills, were mainly aimed at young people between 10 and 19, but children from five are also catered for.
Council youth worker David Warren, who was one of the event organisers, added: “Bridgfest was a huge success this year. The feedback I got was that people really enjoyed it telling me that there was not only a lot to do, but a good variety of activities to suit everyone.”

The Friends of Bridgford Park has been running since 2007 and has already made a considerable impact working together with Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Streetwise team. The Willow Tunnel has proved very popular with the youngsters, as well as the small woodland area nearby with paths laid, bulb planting and nest boxes for birds and insects.
The wooded area along Albert Road has also had some preliminary work carried out and the hedge gaps have also been re-enforced. The current project is to site more bird boxes to encourage more birds and there is already a woodpecker in residence in the park. Wildlife is very important to an urban area and
another possible project is to encourage bees. For further information, or if you think you can help out, call Linda on 0115 981 9146 or Lorraine on 0115 981 6646.