Christian Human Rights Charity to feature at Greenbelt Festival 2005

The Greenbelt Festival 2005 will finally take place this weekend from 26-29th August at Cheltenham Racecourse, with over 20,000 people expected on site this year. Following the impact of the Kids Behind Bars campaign launched in Britain by ITV news, Jubilee Action, a Christian based international human rights charity, will take the campaign on the road at Greenbelt.

Exclusive film footage of children illegally imprisoned in overcrowded jails across the world will be shown to festival goers. Footages of 10 jails in the Philippines will be shown, revealing 160 children imprisoned illegally. Visitors will be signing the petition to call for a UN Special Rapporteur to specifically look into the issue of child imprisonment.

The annual festival has grown extensively over the past 32 years and this year, it will provide the opportunity for Christians all over the UK and Europe to gather and celebrate their faith and to capture the notice of the wider culture.

A target has been set to inspire people to change the direction of their lives through the gospel message. During the festival, children will paint their faces with bars to show support for the child prisoners and adults will be "branded" with a stamp to show that they have taken a stance against this.

"This campaign is receiving an enormous response from the public. We believe Greenbelt can make it even bigger," said Emma Le Beau, Head of Department for Jubilee Action.

Greenbelt is an independent Christian charity working to express love, creativity and justice in the arts and contemporary culture in the light of the Christian gospel.

Christian Aid will be collaborating with Greenbelt to help express concerns over politics and social injustice through campaigning. This year will see the spotlight fall on the Make Poverty History campaign.

Other leading mission organisations, such as the Church Mission Society (CMS), Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), the United Society for the Propagation of Gospel (USPG), YMCA, among others, have also united to help organise the huge event.

Worship will be a major feature at the festival with a range from the alternative to the contemplative, including Asian fusion’s Pal Singh, Canada’s Aradhna, and Matt Redman, Johnny Parks and Tim Hughes. Confirmed speakers include theologian Richard Giles, Fr. Richard Rohr and Bishop James Jones.