Shrewsbury festival helps raise £10,000 to support children with life-threatening illnesses
Children with life-threatening illnesses will be able to enjoy important music therapy sessions after more than £10,000 was raised by organisers of a Shropshire music festival.
Shrewsbury Folk Festival handed over £10,185 to Hope House Children’s Hospices thanks to a contribution from the organisers for every adult weekend ticket along with donations from festival goers at the event over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
The record-breaking total takes the amount raised through the festival since the two organisations began their charity partnership in 2008 to more than £91,000.
Every year Hope House volunteers hold a bucket collection on the Sunday afternoon of the festival and this year raised £3,930.
Visitors also make donations to charge mobile phones and electrical devices and Hope House runs a retail stall in the craft village.
The funding will support music therapy sessions at the hospice which can be an important tool for helping children communicate and have fun.
Hope House Fundraising Team Leader Lynsey Kilvert said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to the Shrewsbury Folk Festival and festival goers for once again raising such an incredible amount of money and supporting us.
“We need to raise £7.5 million a year to keep running our services for local children and families and without the incredible support from our community and supporters like Shrewsbury Folk Festival, we simply would not be able to be here for them.”
Festival Director Sandra Surtees said she was over the moon by the amount raised.
“This is the first time we’ve ever tipped into five figures and it’s all down to the incredible generosity of our festivalgoers," she said.
"The joy of music is at the very heart of what we do and our visitors obviously recognise how much this will mean to the children at the hospice through their music therapy.
“For some children and young people, it can be key to communication so it’s incredibly gratifying to know that we’re playing a small part in ensuring this service continues. We’re determined to reach that £100,000 milestone next year and working with Hope House for many years to come.”
Day and weekend tickets for the 2023 festival, which will take place at the West Midland Showground in Berwick Road from August 25-28 next year are already on sale at www.shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk
