YOUNG carers will be saying thank you for the music this summer after a charity offering them respite struck a chord with an annual festival.

Worcester Music Festival celebrates original music with a line up of about 300 acts playing more than 30 venues across the Faithful City, and Worcestershire Young Carers has been named its charity of the year.

The Droitwich-based charity supports seven to 25-year-olds who look after a physically disabled relative or help to raise siblings in a home where a parent has mental health problem.

Key worker Neil Phillips said: “I was absolutely over the moon when I heard and jumped around the office. According to research, there is the equivalent of one young carer in every classroom in the country and being the festival’s charity will help to raise awareness of this overlooked issue.”

Mr Phillips hopes the funds raised from Friday to Sunday, August 29-31 will help the charity realise a particular dream as well as helping its young people to make music of their own.

“There is an annual national carers’ festival in Southampton, which we couldn’t afford to take our carers to last year, and we’re hoping the festival donation will help to make this happen,” he said.

The festival's charity co-ordinator, Lisa-Marie Everall, said the committee had been inspired by the charity.

“At the last count, there were nearly 3,000 young people in Worcestershire providing some level of care to a parent, grandparent, sibling or other family members, a role which can be incredibly stressful. We hope the community will get behind this brilliant cause.”

Worcestershire Young Carers, which holds a monthly club at Perdiswell Young People’s Centre, has also made a film to highlight the work the young people do.

Musicians interested in helping with music to accompany the film or who would like to support the young carers in their music-making should email Neil via neil.phillips@yss.org.uk.

For more information, go to yss.org.uk or wumufest.co.uk.