Young creative people want to stay up north

She sends me every job opportunity (relevant or not) she can find in Rotherham.

One day that opportunity was a Children’s Capital of Culture traineeship and, among all the cafe jobs and temp work, this is the one that piqued my interest.

From doing programming courses at Showroom Cinema, to watching any weird and wonderful B-movie I can find in local charity shops, the film industry is the place I want to be.

But with the lack of opportunities in South Yorkshire for young people wanting to break into creative industries like this one, I felt stuck.

The film industry feels very London-centric and, as fun as London is, I feel a huge connection to where I’m from and want that to be the base to build a future from.

That’s where Children’s Capital of Culture came along, offering me a chance to undertake a traineeship at Sheffield DocFest – the UK’s leading documentary film festival.

Through my traineeship at DocFest, I’ve learned way more about the international landscape of film festivals, film careers in the north and creative opportunities close to home.

My fellow trainee and I will be running two events in early 2026, one in February and another in March, focusing on togetherness and community.

Both will feature documentaries from DocFest’s archive, as well as collaborations with local community groups and celebrate creativity right in the heart of Rotherham and South Yorkshire – so keep an eye out for them!

Now aged 24 I know I wouldn’t feel as much confidence in my career had I not applied through that Facebook link back in July, so thanks to Children’s Capital of Culture for giving me, and so many other young people from the region, a chance to grow here and not elsewhere.

And thanks to my mum for being addicted to Facebook, too.

Don’t forget, young people want to work here!

Children’s Capital of Culture may be coming to a close (at the end of March this year), but our passion for creative opportunities in Rotherham will never fade.

And come to Sheffield DocFest 2026 in June.

If we don’t support the fantastic creative outlets the north has, opportunities for future generations will dwindle and we’ll be back to square one.