Member Article

Young entrepreneurs take over the high street

A celebratory event marking the end of this summer’s somewhereto_re:store campaign will also signal the launch of a brand new venture aimed at budding young entrepreneurs in the North East.

somewhereto_ re:store [the high street heist], a youth led high street take-over of six disused shop spaces across the UK, teamed up with Space 2 in Newcastle city centre for its summer campaign, giving young people the opportunity to showcase their talents and inject their ideas into the high street.

Over the past few weeks, over 200 young people took part in somewhereto_ re:store, using the space to host a range of events and workshops encompassing music, media, fashion and dance.

This weekend, somewhereto_ re:store comes to an end, but the closing celebration also heralds the launch of a new venture called The MarketPlace. Launching this Saturday 14 September between 12-5pm at Space 2, The MarketPlace is a collaboration between somewhereto_ North East, Space 2, Business Sparks and the Enterprise Club.

The event will feature stilt walkers, breakdancing and face painting, as well as stalls from Hidden Beauty, Shake It milkshake bar, Cakes ‘R’ Us, Opulent Mehndi and Begum Boutique, plus lots more. There will also be free candy floss for the first 100 visitors.

The MarketPlace will then take place once a month, offering space for up to twenty entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services, network with other traders, access leisure activities and develop their skills. It’s also an opportunity for local shoppers to buy quality goods and services, hand-made giftware and freshly prepared sweets and cakes.

Neil Burke, somewhereto_ North East’s regional delivery partner says: “Our re:store pop-up space has been a huge success this summer. This weekend, sadly, marks the end of our campaign, but we’re really excited to be supporting The MarketPlace which is such as a fantastic opportunity for young entrepreneurs.”

somewhereto_ re:store is a Big Lottery Funded campaign which showcased young people’s response to the crisis at the core of our communities and gave them the chance to inject their natural energy, ideas and entrepreneurialism into our struggling high streets.

somewhereto_ is funded by a £7m injection from the Big Lottery Fund, granted in December 2012 to support its UK-wide expansion over the following four years. In the North East somewhereto_ is run by the Regional Youth Work Unit – North East, a charity in Gateshead that works across the region to improve the lives of young people.

To find out more about somewhereto_ re:store visit: www.somewhereto.com/restore.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alexis Forsyth .