Dorchester's independent record store, Vinyl Van, in Brewery Square, is giving local young people the chance to unleash their musical potential on Record Store Day (April 22).

Vinyl Van will open its doors at 8am so people can browse a special collection of Record Store Day releases. Alongside various live music performances, DJ sets will be held throughout the day hosted by aspiring DJs.

Vinyl Van owner Marcia Smith said: "Our focus this year is going to be on some of the amazing young people who have become part of our community here at Vinyl Van.

"We feel very fortunate to have a lot of younger customers who bring a great energy to the shop."

The event marks one of various opportunities Vinyl Van has hosted for local young people this year, including a one-day workshop in collaboration with The Vinyl Workshop.

The occasion saw six budding DJs receive one-to-one tuition to learn professional deck spinning skills.

Marcia continued: "We took Vinyl Van out to DJ at a couple of private events last year to raise the money to put on the workshop. We've seen through the shop and our monthly open decks nights that giving young people such opportunities can inspire them and build their confidence.

"It's nice to be able to do this for some of our customers and now we've got plenty of aspiring DJs to help us with our Record Store Day celebrations too.

"We'd love to run this one-day DJ workshop again, so if anyone is aware of any funding or would like to discuss possible sponsorship opportunities, then we encourage them to get in touch."

Tara Bailey, centre manager at Brewery Square, added: "It's fantastic to support one of our independent businesses as they give local people opportunities to discover new talents and ambitions.

"Our retailers go above and beyond to engage with our Dorchester community, providing high-quality products and services while bringing their offering to life and inspiring individuals through exciting events.

"We can't wait to see Brewery Square filled with budding DJs and music enthusiasts for Record Store Day."

Upcoming live music performances at Vinyl Van include a Record Store Day warm up session from local band The Outliers at 7.30pm on Friday, April 21.

Emerging abstract hip hop artist, ZANII will kick off the first live performance on the day itself at 12noon on Saturday, April 22, followed by acoustic singer Eva Grant and her dad, Andy, at 4pm.

Marcia said: "We feel so lucky to have ZANII and Eva helping us celebrate Record Store Day.

"ZANII has performed live in the shop before and wowed us with his unique style of music. Eva has been singing locally for a while and this will be her first live performance supported by her dad who is a well-known local musician. 

"It really is going to be a great weekend of live music at Vinyl Van so please come down to help us celebrate and support these young artists and DJs."

For more information about Vinyl Van, visit the business' Facebook and Instagram pages.

For more information about Brewery Square, visit www.brewerysquare.com, or call the concierge desk on 01305 267777.