South Yorkshire Times, April 4th, 1970
Pageant In Castle Grounds Will Be Festival Feature
Pageants, folk festivals, exhibition sport matches and galas are all crammed into a bumper fortnight when Mexborough area youth clubs launch their Youth Project 1970.
The activities swing into action on Saturday June 28th, when a fair and gala will be held at Wath. At the same time a small social gala will be held at Kilnhurst, and a Duke of Edinburgh award exhibition will be presented in the centre of Mexborough by Scouts, Guides and St. John Ambulance
The grounds of Conisbrough castle will be the setting for a pageant, which will trace the area’s history. This will be followed by a gala.
The Mexborough Area Youth Choir will hold its first public performance on Sunday when it will sing a selection of songs at a wine and cheese party at the Civic Hall, Mexborough. During the party, the Gala Queen will be chosen.
The following day the Bolton Octagon Theatre Road Show will give two performances at Mexborough Technical College and Dearne Town Hall, and a fashion show has been planned at Brampton Youth Club.
Boxing Bouts
A boxing programme featuring four bouts will be held at the Tom Hill Youth Club on Tuesday, when the Army will take up the challenge of Denaby and District boxers. A professional wrestling bout can also be seen at Wath Youth Club and for the fashion conscious, fashion shows can be seen at Mexborough and Rawmarsh. Brass band lovers are also included in the wide range of activities, and on Tuesday evening they will be able to see the Grimethorpe Junior Brass Band.
A Derbyshire travelling theatre, the Stainsby Theatre Group, will visit Mexborough Youth Club o Wednesday when they will present David Helliwell’s play “Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs.” Boxing will again feature in the programme, an invitation boxing tournament being scheduled to take place at the Coronation Club, Thurnscoe. At nearby Hickleton the village’s Welfare Ground will be the venue for a sports gala.
Keith and Brian
Television and film actors, Keith Barron and Brian Blessed, who are both natives of the Mexborough area, and who began their acting careers in local repertory companies, will speak at an arts confrontation at “The Place” Youth Club, Conisbrough, A jazz concert has been arranged at Wath Youth Club, in addition to a visual arts exhibition, while at Kilnhurst, members of the public will have a chance to match their skill against a professional golfer in a match of target golf at a sports competition gala. An international table tennis star will also play members of the public.
A dance, mobile discotheques, films and cartoons, and a coffee bar will be held on Friday at Swinton Comprehensive School, while the following day an international All-Star eleven will play an Area Youth Clubs’ eleven in a cricket match at Goldthorpe. A gymkhana and show jumping exhibition will be given at Ellershaw Field, Conisbrough.
The project closes on Sunday with a full day’s programme, including an all-star football match, the finals of a general knowledge quiz and the finals of the inter-club talent competition.