Urban Circle Celebrates 20 Years with Ambitious New Youth Arts Movement

Urban Circle Newport, one of Gwent’s most celebrated grassroots youth arts charities,

is marking its 20th anniversary with the launch of UC’is20, a bold long‑term initiative designed to transform creative opportunities for young people across the city.

For two decades, Urban Circle has been a driving force behind youth arts, community development and creative education in Newport. The organisation has empowered more than 10,000 young people, supporting their development in music, dance, film, visual arts and digital media and even recently hosting Warm Hub sessions.

A New Creative Ecosystem for Newport

UC’is20 represents the charity’s most ambitious step yet — a multi‑venue, multi‑disciplinary youth arts “ecosystem” running from spring to summer 2026, funded by Arts Council Wales.

At the heart of the new initiative are two major developments, The Share Centre has become a registered Arts Award Centre, where Urban Circle will train and support over 100 young people to achieve nationally recognised qualifications ranging from Bronze to Gold. It will act as a space for learning, accreditation, creative development and wellbeing support.

UC’is20 also marks the launch of CIRCLE, a professional platform where young people can showcase film, live performance, creative entertainment and food events. This industry-facing space gives emerging artists hands‑on professional experience and a platform to reach new audiences.

The UC’is20 season will run for six months and includes a series of creative events across Newport. The programme will open with a free launch show at CIRCLE featuring MOBO Award-winning artist Lady Leshurr, forming part of the Newport Music Trail festival at the end of March 2026.

Building the Future of Youth Arts

Urban Circle’s work comes at a time when creative opportunities for young people are under increasing pressure. UC’is20 is designed to meet this moment with a renewed commitment to progression, confidence-building and creative resilience equipping young people with skills and experiences that will support them long into the future.

“Urban Circle was never just about building projects — it was about building people,” reflects CEO Loren Henry, marking the start of a new chapter for one of Wales’ most impactful youth organisations.

Young people aged 11 to 25 who are interested in gaining an Arts Award qualification can apply by emailing share@ucnewport.co.uk.