Over 600 young people celebrated creativity, culture, and connection at the National Saturday Club’s London Visit, marking the charity’s 15th anniversary year.
The London Visit is the National Saturday Club’s annual Autumn Term event, where hundreds of young people from Saturday Clubs across London and the south-east come together as a national network and visit leading museums, galleries and performance spaces across the capital.The Visit at Central Saint Martins. A sign that says Welcome is shown with people in the background
The National Saturday Club programme is supported by organisations including Arts Council England, the BFI, the British Fashion Council Foundation, Clore Duffield, QEST and more. “The Visit” will also be take place for Club members in Manchester and Plymouth across the coming weeks for the first time as a reflection of National Saturday Club’s growth. There are now over 130 Saturday Clubs across the UK, up from 106 on the year previous.
Designed to inspire and empower, the day is filled with special access to London exhibitions, hands-on workshops, immersive cultural activities, and collaborative experiences. The event saw young people aged 13–16 attend an interactive pop-up exhibition at Central St Martins’ Lethaby Gallery, where they saw their “Expression of Self” project work on display. As well as this, MC, poet, and beatboxer Mr Shay, of Underground Creatives, led the young people through a sound expression engagement workshop where they explored the power of their voice.Young people at National Saturday Club London Visit take part in an activity
Throughout the day, Club members also took part in a whole host of activities away from CSM campus. The London Visit saw an extraordinary network of cultural institutions across the capital open their doors and welcome Saturday Club members. Autograph, The British Library, Crafts Council, National Portrait Gallery, The Courtauld and the V&A gave the young people access to their current exhibitions where they took part in engaging workshops.
Elsewhere, young people attended specially arranged visits at Hayward Gallery, Imperial War Museum, Roundhouse, Whitechapel Gallery, Tate, White Cube, ZSL London Zoo and the National Theatre. Past data shows that for many of the young people, the London Visit is the first time they have visited these iconic spaces (74% in 2023).
Lucy Kennedy, chief executive of the National Saturday Club, said: “The London Visit is a highlight of the National Saturday Club year, offering young people a unique opportunity to come together at the start of their journey with the programme. It’s a chance to celebrate their creativity, meet like-minded peers from across the UK, take part in inspiring workshops, and experience the capital’s world-class cultural institutions, sparking new ambitions, ideas, and confidence.Young people observe their self-portraits at the National Saturday Club London Visit
“As we celebrate 15 years of the National Saturday Club, it’s a privilege to be part of this inspiring programme, founded in 2009 by Sir John Sorrell CBE and Lady Frances Sorrell CBE, and to witness its extraordinary impact. This year, as we grow to 130 Clubs nationwide, we’re reaching more young people than ever before, enabling them to benefit from this life-changing programme and helping to secure equitable opportunity for more young people.”
Rachel Noel, Head of Programmes and Partnerships, Learning at the Tate Britain and Tate Modern said: “It has been our pleasure to welcome young people to Tate Britain and Tate Modern as part of the London Visit. We believe it is important for everyone, particularly young people at this pivotal age, to have access to art and cultural spaces. We all deserve the opportunity to be inspired or learn something new through an artwork, an idea, or a story – we hope that many of the young people who visited us for the first time will feel more confident returning or engaging with our free collections in the future.”
The London Visit is just one part of the National Saturday Club’s year long programme. Across the UK, there are over 130 Saturday Clubs offering young people nationwide the opportunity to build their skills, discover their talents and find out more about future pathways. The programme is completely free and is designed to reach young people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to engage with creative extracurricular education.
