Talented youngsters travel to capital to view their artwork

Talented young people who are members of the University of Derby’s National Saturday Club programme have recently returned from a trip to London to view artwork they contributed to a national exhibition.

They visited the Embankment Galleries at Somerset House where their creations were showcased alongside work from more than 2,000 young people from across the country.

The event was part of the National Saturday Club’s annual Summer Show and marked the conclusion of this year’s club programme.

The University of Derby Saturday Club mornings are part of a national network for 13 to 16-year-olds where young people from the city and county who have an interest in creative and artistic practice meet.

The free-to-attend club helps young people learn new skills, develop their talents and meet new people.

Each club revolves around a particular subject strand, with the University of Derby’s strand being ‘Society and Change’.

The weekly sessions are designed to prompt the young people to ask themselves what it means to be a citizen of the world, and what changes they might want to see in their local community – and these ideas were reflected in the artwork they produced for the Summer Show.

The University of Derby’s Saturday Club is led by the Civic Team, in partnership with Artcore, Baby People, DANCOP, Derby County Community Trust, Derby Theatre and Family Hub Derby.

Zunaid Saiyed, National Saturday Club manager at the University of Derby, said: “The creativity and enthusiasm of the young people in our Saturday Club has been incredible.

“It’s wonderful to see their hard work celebrated on such a prestigious platform.”