A host of stars from across the music community have donated items and experiences for special prize draws to raise funds for stage crew impacted by the ongoing restrictions imposed to curtail the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
Nick Cave, Radiohead, Eric Clapton, Marillion, Idles, Liam Gallagher, Royal Blood and The Chemical Brothers are among the artists offering up signed memorabilia, guitars, gig tickets and meet and greet ’experiences’ to to support the unsung heroes of the live music industry, the people behind the scenes that make the magic happen.
Stagehand have partnered with Crowdfunder to launch #ILoveLive, a prize draw campaign organised to raise funds for the production staff and stage crew impacted by the loss of work caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Stagehand is the only UK charity specifically dedicated to providing hardship funding for live events industry workers, and aims to raise at least £1 million before Christmas.
“Workers within the live music industry are in urgent need of support,” the campaign press release states. “The industry was the first to close and will be the last to reopen, resulting in thousands of people facing immense hardship. The problem is intensified by the nature of the industry. Over 60% of the people working in the industry are freelancers without any support from a larger company and over 20% of all crew have discovered that they don't qualify for any government support at all. Stage crew have been the forgotten ones in the current pandemic.”
“Stagehand and the #ILoveLive initiative will not only make a real practical difference to helping people survive the huge challenges that they face, but it also offers a timely reminder that the wider community cares about their plight.”
For full details of the prize draws, and how to enter, visit the campaign’s website.
