Comprising of a schools tour, a takeover of Middlesbrough College, and a skills showcase at Teesside University, the Inspire ME tour will give young people from Middlesbrough and the surrounding areas an introduction to working in the creative and sporting industries, providing them with the skills, know-how and motivation they need to take those all-important first steps.

Big names from both industries will join Radio 1 on the tour, including Brit Award winner Sam Fender (pictured), along with Radio 1’s very own Cel Spellman, Katie Thistleton and Jordan North. Other participants will include actress Jessica Daley, Sunday Girl magazine founder Abby Dennison, musician Dylan Cartlidge, and boxer Joe Maphosa, who are all from the Middlesbrough area.

The activity kicks off on Tuesday 7 May, and will span the three weeks leading up to Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

Katie Thistleton says: “I’m really looking forward to visiting some schools and meeting some of the young people in Middlesbrough to chat to them about their careers and futures, it’s one of my favourite subjects to talk about! We’re bound to have a fun few weeks ahead of Big Weekend.”

Aled Haydn-Jones, Head of Programmes at Radio 1, says: “We’re really excited to be able to meet so many fantastic young people from Middlesbrough and beyond during the lead up to Radio 1’s Big Weekend. Only Radio 1 could bring so many talented people together and we hope to use their expertise to inspire anyone thinking about a career in the creative or sporting industries to take their first steps. We can’t wait to get started!”

Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2019 will take place at Stewart Park in Middlesbrough from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 May, with a huge line-up of artists including Miley Cyrus, Stormzy, Mumford & Sons, The 1975, Little Mix, Mark Ronson and MK set to perform for 70,000 music fans across three days. Now in its 16th year, the station’s flagship live music event kicks off the UK’s festival season, as well as shining a light on the host city and providing a major boost to the local economy.

Schools tour
Radio 1 will embark on the first part of the Inspire ME tour on 7 May, carrying out visits to schools in and around Middlesbrough. The schools tour aims to motivate and empower young people aged 12-18 by sharing stories and advice from role models from their community.

An array of artists, actors, influencers, entrepreneurs, athletes and Radio 1 DJs will help to run action-packed sessions introducing pupils to different roles in the creative and sports industries, with a focus on important life skills like resilience, confidence and hard work.

Middlesbrough College
On 9 May, Radio 1 will take over Middlesbrough College, putting on a range of exciting workshops to give students an introduction to creative careers, from learning how to produce podcasts, to using social media to support a brand, to organising live events.

Teesside University
On 14 May the tour will head to Teesside University to showcase the variety of BBC schemes and opportunities available to budding creatives. Radio 1 will bring together a range of BBC departments including BBC Music Introducing, BBC Tees, BBC Look North and BBC Writersroom to meet students and provide advice and information about how to get in to the BBC.

In addition, Radio 1 will be teaming up with the Student Radio Association to bring nearby student radio stations together, including Teeside’s TUXtra, Sunderland’s Spark, Durham’s Purple Radio, Newcastle’s NSR and Northumbria’s NSU. Students will be able to attend a number of workshops designed to help them learn more about working in radio, and a Radio 1 DJ will pop in to TUXtra for a stint as co-host.

And if that weren’t enough, students will also be given the chance to sign up to volunteer at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Middlesbrough.

For more details about Radio 1’s Big Weekend please visit the Radio 1 website.