Award-winning youth arts team County Youth Arts (CYA) is celebrating 20 years of delivering some of the most ambitious and innovative projects with the young people of Nottinghamshire.

Ten of those years has seen the team develop their own arts venue in Mansfield — The Old Library.

They have worked with more than 30,000 young people across music, dance, drama, film and media with young people being at the heart of their work.

County Youth Arts is just one of the services delivered by Inspire, a Community Benefit Society that provides a range of cultural, art, library and learning services on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council.

Most recently the team was invited by the BBC Proms to take the Able Orchestra project, which works with physically disabled young people, to work alongside the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra using digital technology.

The orchestra performed to 6,000 people over two days and was seen and heard by many more on BBC TV and radio.

The team are now looking forward to another 20 years and setting out their vision and showcasing much of their work at a special event at Mansfield Palace Theatre on 16th and 17th February.

It will feature everything from hip hop to rock and pop, street dance, contemporary dance, drama and comedy, all weaved together to entertain.

The Showcase project works with more than 400 young people each year for several months in preparation for the show, with initial auditions taking place in the autumn.

The CYA team are planning to work with more and varied groups of young people and to make arts and disability a key focus alongside a wide ranging youth dance programme of rock, pop, grime and classical music projects — and to further develop digital arts in all its forms.

Andy Dawson, CYA manager, said; “During our 20 years we have been privileged enough to work with young people who have now become professional artists in their own right, many of them working alongside us to create amazing art. 20 years is something to celebrate and we intend to keep going forward from strength to strength.”

Coun Liz Plant, vice-chairman of the Children and Young People’s Committee at the county council, said: “It is wonderful to see Inspire’s County Youth Arts team reach two important milestones in 2017.

“They have consistently worked with a diverse range of partners to provide an innovative programme and opportunities for young people and artists to develop and showcase their talents.

“After 20 years as a team and 10 years at the Old Library, they are on the map as a venue that offers something unique but affordable to both the local and wider community.”