'Big bashes' to round off Festival

Rotherham's Children and Young People's Festival will come to an amazing end next week with a whole host of major events to round things off.

The glittering Roscars ceremony, the Rotherham Children's Book Awards and four musical extravaganzas (Big Bash, Big Sing, Big Band and Big String) along with a number of other events make up the Festival's final week programme.

The three week-long event at the Magna Science and Adventure Centre has already shown the amazing breadth of talent that Rotherham's children and young people have.

2010 marks the tenth anniversary of the Rotherham Children's Book Awards (see below for shortlisted books which young people have been voting on) and the event promises to be bigger and better than ever with over 50 schools taking part, in addition to the inclusion of work inspired by the Imagination Library for children aged 0-5.

Among the authors attending are Anne Fine, Melanie Williamson, Simon Bartram, Katie Cleminson, Anthony McGowan, Chris d'Lacy, L J Adlington, and Ali Sparkes, along with the Rotherham-based author Peter J Murray. 

The Awards (July 9) have also been working in partnership with Inspire Rotherham to launch their Poet Laureate Award - an exciting chance for one young person to become Rotherham's first ever Poet Laureate with the winner announced at the Awards.

Also next week will be the Roscars (July 8) - Rotherham's very own version of the Oscars -sponsored by RBT.

Young people from schools across the borough have been creating their own short films to try and scoop the prizes in the four main categories: Film Fact, Film Fiction, Stop Motion Animation and Digital Animation.

In addition, young people have been auditioning and rehearsing for 'The R Factor' which will take place during the Roscars event, showcasing their creative talents.

Music will also take centre stage during the week with four events organised by the Rotherham Schools Music Service:  - The Big Band (July 5) - Brass and woodwind and percussion players from Rotherham's Wider Opportunities projects will form one of the biggest bands that South Yorkshire has ever seen.

 - The Big Sing (July 6) - 1000 voices come together in a lively, fun-filled choir that is sure to raise the roof!

  - The Big Bash (July 7) - Young percussionists showcase their Djembe playing in a celebration of world music.

  - The Big String (July 8) - Violins, 'cellos and guitars perform together in a musical feast of string playing to form a huge orchestra.

Also on the Festival programme next week is:

 - Language Learning (July 5) - This exciting event combines song, dance, drama and story telling, reflecting the outstanding work carried out by our schools in the area of language learning.

 - Childcare Champions Awards (July 5) - People who are going the extra mile to give children and families in Rotherham the best possible start in life will be recognised for their work at this special ceremony. The is held to reward childcarers and people who work in early years that have been nominated as Childcare Champions and have put something special into helping children and families and giving them quality care and education.

  - Support Staff Awards (July 5) - This is the first Celebration and Awards Ceremony to acknowledge and celebrate the excellent work of support staff in schools.

  - Young Achievers Awards (July 7) - A special ceremony to mark the achievements of Rotherham's Looked After Children.

ICT Conference (July 7) - A range of workshops and interactive zones will reflect the wide range of ICT opportunities for young people and how these are being used creatively in our schools and colleges.

For more details on the Awards ceremony please visit www.rgfl.org\childrensfestival

The shortlist for the Rotherham Book Awards is:

Key Stage 1/2 category:

 - Crazy Hair by Dave McKean, Box of Tricks by Katie Cleminson, Dandylion by Lizzie Finlay, Sorry by Norbert Landa and Tim Warnes, and  Wolf's Magnificent Master Plan by Melanie Williamson.

Independent Readers category:

 - The Bare Bum Gang and the Holy Grail by Anthony McGowan,  The Killer Cats Birthday Bash by Anne Fine, Peter the Pengiun Pioneer by Daren King, The Dragons of Wayward Crescent by Chris D'Lacy, Kaspar Prince of Cats by Michael Morpurgo, and The Disappearing Moon by Simon Bartram.

Key Stage 2/3 category

-  The Thornthwaite Inheritance by Gareth Jones, Dead Ball by Tom Palmer, Cosmic by Frank Cottrell-Boyce,  The Glittering Eye by L J Addlington, Frozen In Time by Ali Sparkes, and Jimmy's Stars by Mary Ann Rodman.