An organisation which supports young musicians has been honoured with a royal award.

RockIt Bolton CIC, run by a group of five founding directors, is a not for profit music project based in Bolton, has been awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

This is the highest award a local voluntary group can recieve in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

Julie Crompton, one of the directors as well as they  volunteer and project coordinator, said: "The community here at RockIt Bolton is strong and we are so proud to have received such a prestigious award that recognises the hard work put in by the volunteer team especially as we carried on offering a supportive service during Covid."

The Bolton News:

Rockit is a weekly programme of creative activities taking place from September to July.

Young musicians aged 11-17 years with a passion for new music are welcomed to join the group, supported by a team of music mentors and volunteers.

The youth organisation provide an exciting opportunity for the young people of Bolton and beyond to create, perform and record music in a safe and inclusive environment.

They aim to provide individuality and creativity, nurture skills and build confidence whilst developing a youth led music scene.

The Bolton News:

RockIt is funded by bids including the National Lottery Awards for All and are supported by local companies including Carrs Pasties and The Bolton Gin Company.

The music activities run every Saturday from The Big Unit Studios, where they join young people together to form bands and friendships, and the group are looking for new members.

The Queen's Award for Voluntary service, created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, aims to recognise the outstanding work by local volunteer groups which benefits their communities.

This year, 244 local charities recieved the prestigious award - RockIt Bolton being one of them.

Representatives of RockIt Bolton will receive the award crystal and certificate from the Lord-Lieutenant of the county later this summer.

In addition, two volunteers will also attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2023 along with other recipients of this year’s Award. 

Young musicians, singers or songwriters who would like to join a band and make new friends can email Julie Crompton on rockitbolton@gmail.com or contact 07985 654558.