Young Methodists to celebrate 200 years since abolition of slave trade

For three days in November, Cardiff will become the focal point for Methodist young people all over Great Britain when it hosts the annual Methodist Youth Conference from 16-18 November 2007 in the new Urdd Centre in Cardiff Bay.

The Methodist Youth Conference is an annual conference that gives an opportunity for young people aged 13-25 from all over Britain to meet and discuss important issues they are interested in and how they relate to the Church.

It is aimed at young people who are connected or wish to be connected with the Methodist church.

Many young Methodists across Great Britain benefit from this annual meeting as not all are fortunate enough to have the chance to mix with many people their own age in their local church.

"This is a great opportunity for the young people," says Rev Susan McIvor from the Cardiff Circuit, who is one of the organisers of the conference. "They have [the] chance to meet lots of other Methodist young people, talk about their concerns and draw the whole church's attention to these issues."

Each year the conference has a specific theme, and this year the young people have chosen to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the UK and the freedom Christians find in their faith today.

The conference is held in a different location in Britain every year and this time it is being held in the Urdd sleepover centre in Cardiff Bay.

Katie Demery, 16 from Cardiff said, "We think that the young people will love Cardiff Bay with its Doctor Who and Welsh Assembly connections. We also have lots of great activities planned for them. In fact, we're a bit concerned that it will be so good they might not want to leave at the end of the weekend."

The event has been organised through a planning committee involving young people from around the Cardiff Circuit area aged 13-25, offering the opportunity for all the young people involved not only to work as part of a team, but also to develop planning and social skills.