YOUNG & Talented Cornwall, The Lord Lieutenant’s Fund will mark 20 years of supporting the Duchy’s young people with a gala event on Monday, November 17 at the Hall for Cornwall.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Danni Diston will return to her Cornish roots to compere YT20, a showcase of homegrown talent from performers and athletes to writers and innovators.

Young & Talented Cornwall has awarded over £500,000 to more than 500 exceptionally talented individuals over the last two decades, helping to break down the financial, social and physical barriers so often faced by Cornwall’s gifted youngsters. The latest budding stars to benefit from the initiative will appear alongside successful alumni.

The exciting line-up includes a specially commissioned dance created by young people in collaboration with acclaimed Cornish choreographer Theo Clinkard; a rousing new anthem for Cornwall, penned by aspiring writers and sung by the Cornwall Youth Choir to music by Duchy-based Jim Carey; and filmed messages of support from Dame Judi Dench, Dawn French, Will Young and former Young & Talented Cornwall grant recipient, Helen Glover.

YT20 will begin with a procession through the city centre to the doors of the Hall for Cornwall, headed by the Lord Lieutenant, High Sheriff and mayor of Truro, led by St Austell Youth Brass Band and accompanied by Young & Talented Cornwall recipients past and present.

An immersive sound and photography installation, inspired by the Barbara Hepworth Museum and coordinated by Tate St Ives in partnership with young artists, will add another dimension to the spectacular.

“Young talent has been involved in so many aspects of our YT20 production - the choreography and dance, the composition and lyrics, the films which will intersperse the performance, the art on display, the photography, animation and lighting,” said Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho KCVO OBE, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall.

“Too many young people in Cornwall feel their dreams are out of reach, held back by geography, finances or lack of opportunity. Young & Talented Cornwall has shown that incredible things happen when the right support meets the right spark.

“Every investment in a young person stirs inspiration, creates new opportunities, and builds a brighter Cornwall for all.”

Arts Council England has awarded a £19,000 project grant to support the staging of YT20,, made possible by the National Lottery. The event is sponsored by Cornish Metals and St Eval, and supported by Hall for Cornwall and Screen Cornwall.

The initiative was launched in 2005 as The Lord Lieutenant’s Fund for Youth by the then Lord Lieutenant Lady Mary Holborow and Vice Lord Lieutenant Michael Galsworthy. Now known as Young & Talented Cornwall, it is headed by the current Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall and administered by the independent charity Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF).

The fund strives to help those young individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding talent in a particular field – such as sport, the arts, science, voluntary service and enterprise – but are struggling to achieve progress in their chosen career due to factors including hardship or disability.

YT20 tickets can be purchased from £30 per person at www.hallforcornwall.co.uk