Soar Sound and the Evington Echo is inviting volunteers to take part in a practical community reporting opportunity at Riverside Festival on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June 2026.
This is a chance to help support Soar Sound and Evington Echo’s presence at the festival while developing experience in local community reporting, public engagement, recorded interviews and accountable media practice in Leicester.
Soar Sound will be based in the Castle Gardens area, where it will operate as a talks and story-gathering platform. The focus will be on gathering local voices, short interviews, reflections, conversations and atmosphere from the festival. The material will be reviewed and prepared for broadcast, podcast use, web publication, social media and partner reporting.
This is a careful, consent-based approach to community media that gives volunteers the chance to practise interviewing, listening, recording, logging, editing and editorial judgement in a real public setting.
Who this Opportunity is For
This opportunity is for people who want to build practical experience as local community reporters and who already have some transferable skills.
You do not need formal radio or reporting experience. Relevant experience might come from other forms of community media, student media, podcasting, local newsletters, journalism, photography, documentary work, oral history, arts participation, heritage projects, volunteering, public engagement, social media, events, research, facilitation or community organising.
The key requirement is a responsible approach. Community reporting is not just about gathering content. It is about listening well, explaining clearly, gaining consent, representing people fairly, and recognising when a topic needs editorial care.
What Community Reporters Will Do
Community reporters will help speak with festival visitors, community groups, artists, volunteers, stallholders and partner organisations. The work may include gathering short interviews, asking people about their connection to Leicester, recording reflections on Riverside Festival, capturing community stories, supporting planned discussions, helping with consent, and making notes so that material can be used properly after the event.
Some volunteers may also help with welcome desk duties, audio logging, social media updates, post-event editing, programme notes or follow-up reporting.
The aim is to create media that is useful, respectful and rooted in public participation. This means avoiding rushed or sensational reporting, being clear about how material may be used, and ensuring that people’s contributions are handled carefully.
Why This Matters
Leicester needs local media that people can recognise, question, contribute to and trust. Community reporting can help strengthen our civic society by creating routes for more people to take part in media production without depending only on commercial platforms or distant institutions.
This opportunity is intended to support accountable and trusted media practice. That means paying attention to accuracy, fairness, consent, privacy, editorial responsibility and the social context in which stories are gathered.
It also means helping people develop confidence as local reporters, producers, interviewers and media contributors. Riverside Festival offers a practical setting in which to learn by doing, while working with others who are committed to community-based media.
Level of Commitment
These are volunteer roles. We are asking people to offer at least one focused shift during the festival weekend. A typical shift will be around two to three hours. There may also be opportunities to help before the event with briefing and preparation, or afterwards with editing, review, web publication and reporting.
Volunteers will receive a short briefing before the festival and will be given a clear role on the day. People with more experience may be asked to support newer contributors, help with editorial judgement, or assist with post-event production.
Partners And Network Involvement
The activity will support Soar Sound’s presence at Riverside Festival and will connect with the University of Leicester Heritage Hub/Learning Zone. Partner organisations, including the Evington Echo, Documentary Media Centre and Loughborough Stories project, will also be invited to take part.
Decentered Media is committed to strengthening local, independent and community-led media practice in Leicester.
Register Your Interest
To register your interest, please contact Soar Sound with a short note about your relevant experience, your availability on Saturday 6th June and Sunday 7th June, and the kind of role you would be most comfortable supporting.
We are especially interested in hearing from people who want to build their confidence as local community reporters and who understand the importance of careful, accountable and trusted media.
Riverside Festival offers a practical opportunity to help gather Leicester’s voices, support community media, and develop skills that can be carried into future reporting, podcasting, publishing and local storytelling work.