Dorchester Festival is raising money for Be Free Young Carers and Dorchester Abbey in 2026

Be Free Young Carers

Be Free Young Carers is a proudly independent Oxfordshire charity leading the way in championing young carers.

They create real, lasting change for children and teenagers aged 8 – 17 who care for loved ones. Their support helps them rediscover their childhood, build confidence, and thrive.

Everything they do starts with people.

They build strong, personal relationships with their young carers, their families, schools, and local communities as well as with their team, volunteers, and partners. Many of them bring lived experience, and they work in a culture that welcomes everyone to show up as their full selves.

Dorchester Abbey

Since the foundation of the first Christian church building on this site in the ‘Dark Ages’, mission and welcome have been at the heart of this community, and these twin priorities remain at the centre of our life today. We do this through our interaction with the local community and through our links with the charities of this country and abroad. Welcome and relationship come together in the wide range of events and activities that take place in the Abbey throughout the year. Underlying all that we do is our aspiration to be a church that welcomes everyone and offers each person the opportunity to engage with their faith and our heritage.

This inspiring medieval church has been built, adapted and celebrated by men and women using their God given gifts. The spirit of Dorchester Abbey has been forged over the centuries by the prayers of saints, pilgrims and parishioners and continues to be so.