CHIPPENHAM Folk Festival is inviting young people to join in this year's event at their very own venue.

The folk festival youth centre will be called the Hub and it will be situated at the Bridge Centre.

The venue will be dedicated to youth workshops and sessions, designed specifically by young people for young people.

Events will include traditional dance, music, theatre and circus skills.

They will be organised by innovative youth organisers Pulse throughout the Bank Holiday weekend.

Principal sponsor of the festival, Wavin Plastics, has provided additional funding to enable the project to take place.

The 2002 Folk Festival starts on Friday May 31, with a programme packed full of family entertainment until Monday June 3.

With more than 200 different activities taking place, the centre of Chippenham will be filled with music and dance once again.

Festival organiser Bob Berry. said: "The festival has always provided younger children with a full programme, and we have had magnificent support from local primary schools. But this year we decided that the youth should be given some extra attention.

"With the invaluable support of Wavin, we have been able to turn the Bridge Centre into a dedicated youth venue for the weekend, and to bring in young musician and dancer Laurel Swift and her group of performers called Pulse, to organise activities for us.

"Any young people between the ages of ten and 20 are welcome to go along to The Hub between 2pm and 6pm daily to join in the fun.

Tickets to the event are usually £6 for all three sessions each day, but the festival will subsidise local participants with up to 50 per cent of that."

For younger children the Children's Festival will create its own brand of entertainment, with performers such as the Ticklish Allsorts and Strawberry the Clown.

"This really is a fantastic weekend, and combined with the Queens Jubilee festivities it is going to be a weekend to remember," said Peter Curtis of Wavin Plastics.

"We believe that this event is one Chippenham should support wholeheartedly, which is why we are pleased to be associated with it for a fourth year."