Two young members of Moat Brae’s JMB Creatives travelled to Edinburgh on Tuesday to meet HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to tell them of their plans for Scotland’s Year of Young People.
The JMB Creatives is the Youth Forum of the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust, they are planning an exciting festival of events for the end of 2018 which will include a special preview of Moat Brae when young people will take over running the new Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling in Dumfries.
Lucy Brann (aged 25), Charlotte Green (aged 14) and John Molloy (Creative Learning and Engagement Officer) represented the JMB Creatives at the special Year of Young People (YoYP) Reception at Holyrood Palace. In addition to meeting the Royal guests, they spoke to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Minister for Childcare and Early Years, Maree Todd. They talked about Moat Brae and the plans for their ‘Dreams for the Future’ events which will take place in November and December 2018 to highlight the talents, imagination and creativity of young people in Dumfries.
Lucy Brann, Year of Young People Project Coordinator at Moat Brae said: “We had the fantastic opportunity to meet Prince Harry and Ms Markle, it was great to tell them all about the Moat Brae project and our plans to transform the house and garden into a Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling, as well as our plans for our YoYP event, Dreams for the Future. They seemed really engaged with the work everyone was doing and Prince Harry was interested in our connection to the story of Peter Pan, he even suggested we should find a name for our crocodile! I also spoke to the First Minister and the Minister for Year of Young People, about our plans for 2018. The whole day was a great experience and I felt really proud to be a part of the YoYP celebration and all that it stands for – ensuring young people are given a platform to be heard and listened to.”
The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust welcomes anyone aged 26 and under who would like to join The JMB Creatives. These young volunteers will be given opportunities to develop skills and experience in planning, marketing and producing events as well as giving feedback on plans for Moat Brae and making new friends. Anyone who is interested in finding out more can do so through the website www.peterpanmoatbrae.org
