Decentered Media is inviting volunteers to gain practical, hands-on experience as community reporters by supporting Soar Sound’s presence at Leicester Riverside Festival on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June 2026.
This is an opportunity for people who want to develop their confidence in community media, local storytelling, interviewing, audio recording, event support, photography, social media, editing or public engagement. Previous radio experience is welcome, but it is not essential. We are particularly interested in hearing from people who have transferable skills and would like to apply them in a live community setting.
Soar Sound will be based in the Castle Gardens area, alongside the University of Leicester Heritage Hub and Learning Zone, with contributions from the Evington Echo. The activity will be simple, practical and focused. Volunteers will help gather short interviews, conversations, reflections and atmosphere from people taking part in the festival. This material will then be reviewed and prepared for later use across Soar Sound programmes, podcasts, web posts, social media and partner updates.
This will not be a live broadcast. Instead, the aim is to create material that feels present and immediate while allowing proper time for consent, review, editing and editorial care. A useful phrase for the weekend will be “recorded at Riverside Festival in Castle Gardens.” This helps us avoid giving the impression that material is being broadcast live when it is being gathered for later use.
Volunteers may help as community reporters, interviewers, discussion hosts, audio loggers, welcome-point helpers, photographers, social media helpers or general event assistants. Some people may prefer to speak with visitors and contributors. Others may be better suited to recording, note-taking, editing, organising guests, taking photographs, helping with equipment, or keeping the space running smoothly.
The main themes for the weekend will include myths and legends of Leicester and the East Midlands, what people value about Leicester, and how Riverside Festival brings people together. Volunteers will be encouraged to ask open, friendly questions that help people share their own experiences, memories and reflections.
Community reporting is not about putting people on the spot. It is about listening carefully, asking clear questions, gaining consent, representing people fairly and helping local voices to be heard in a trusted and accountable way. The most useful recordings will be short, warm, clear and reusable. Each short conversation could become a radio insert, a podcast clip, a social media post, a web feature or part of a future Soar Sound programme.
This opportunity may suit people with experience in community work, voluntary groups, events, education, youth work, arts, heritage, journalism, photography, podcasting, administration, social media, hospitality or public-facing roles. It may also suit people who are simply curious about community media and want to learn by doing.
Riverside Festival offers a strong setting for this kind of learning. It brings together people, stories, organisations, families, visitors and local traditions in a shared public space. For volunteers, it offers a practical way to understand how community reporting works in real conditions: approaching people respectfully, working with consent, adapting to the weather, managing background noise, supporting contributors and helping produce material that can be used after the event.
Decentered Media sees this kind of activity as part of a wider effort to build trusted, place-based media capacity. Community reporting can help people develop confidence, communication skills, editorial judgement and a stronger understanding of how local stories are gathered and shared. It also supports the development of accountable community media that is rooted in participation rather than passive consumption.
Anyone interested in getting involved should contact Soar Sound or Decentered Media with a brief note about their availability, the skills they would like to offer and the kind of role they would feel most comfortable trying. Support and guidance will be provided, and volunteers will not be expected to do everything. The aim is to create a focused, friendly and useful experience for everyone involved.
This is a practical opportunity to step into community reporting, contribute to local storytelling and help capture the voices and atmosphere of Riverside Festival.