A GROUP of young people and activists gathered in Durham City at the weekend as part of a campaign to get young people engaged in politics and registered to vote.

They were motivated by the fact that at the last general election County Durham had one of the lowest turnouts for young voters, and new research that suggests thousands are still missing from the electoral roll.

The Time to Register event was organised by Ideas Hive Durham’s Miriam Skinner and community activist Jessie Joe Jacobs and supported by Bite The Ballot, a national charity that aims to engage young voters.

The group took to the streets, using art, street demonstrations and music to get disengaged groups and young people voting.

Ms Skinner said: “Our aim was to get young people talking about politics and understanding why being registered to vote it is important and we achieved that.

“Many young people don’t realise that their voice and their vote counts.

"Often policy can be skewed by the people that show up to vote, this means issues that are important to young people get neglected because we don’t show up to vote. "

Ms Jacobs added: "I am passionate about people using their voice and their power to change things.

"Politics changes things. Last year I was running a charity that helped people out of poverty but I realised that without the people I worked with having a voice, policy would always be skewed against them.

"Since leaving the charity I have been getting involved in politics and helping people in the North-East to have a voice, to get active in their communities and to get involved in the issues they see as important."