Kendal Calling have revealed that this summer’s festival, which took place over four days in August, has raised a record-breaking £78,941 for local charities, organisations and other deserving causes. Funds were raised at Kendal Calling thanks to the continued generosity and support of attendees. Through donations, merchandise sales, guest list donations, on site activations and more, Kendal Calling is able to provide meaningful donations across the region and beyond, building on last year’s donations which totaled just over £55,000.
Recipients of this year’s funds include Hospice At Home whose bright yellow sunflowers were visible far and wide across the site, as festival goers adorned them in support of the charity. Julie Blundell from Hospice at Home said, “I would like to once again thank the Kendal Calling Team for their ongoing commitment and to every single festival goer who donated during the event. The funds given at the weekend added to previous contributions equates to over £141,000. The charity first visited the festival in 2011 and this initiative has grown year upon year. It’s lovely when festival goers visit the stand to see how they can support again each year. People also approach the volunteers with stories of how the charity and other hospice providers have helped their loved ones receive care and support. Many people reiterated the importance of hospice care providers in the UK and how everyone must continue to support their hospices to ensure these organisations can keep afloat especially amongst the current challenging cost of living crisis.”
Funds were also raised through coffee sales at Tim Burgess’ famous Tim Peaks Diner which pops up each year at Kendal Calling. This went towards Help Us Help Bands, created by Tim to support new artists and provide much-needed funding to grassroots music, allowing emerging acts to record music, tour, and more. Tim, frontman of The Charlatans said, “It was a bumper year for Help Us Help Bands so thanks to everyone who bought a pizza or a coffee over at Tim Peaks – we have £21,000 to spend on grass roots music projects and upcoming artists. Stand by for updates.”
Fundraising for more heart screenings across the Eden district of Cumbria in a bid to reduce cardiac risk in young people and spot heart conditions early, Cry For Eden were also at Kendal Calling. Donna Mills, Cry for Eden said, “Cry for Eden has been set up to screen the hearts of young people within our community. 12 young people lose their lives every week to undiagnosed and undetected heart conditions. Our aim is to make sure that no families have to go through the heartache of losing a child or loved one. Each screening session costs £13,000 to screen 200 people between the ages of 14-35 so this donation is gratefully received.”
Since its inception, Kendal Calling has raised over £300,000 for a multitude of deserving causes. Kendal Calling is proud to support these charities and organisations, donating funds to ensure their vital work can continue. Other recipients this year include Alder Hey Children’s Charity which works tirelessly to support young people in need, Guide Dogs UK, RSPB, suicide prevention charity James’ Place and North West Air Ambulance Charity which provides care to critically ill and injured patients across the North West. This, as well as many wonderful community projects across Cumbria including Askham’s outdoor swimming pool, Hackthorpe Tennis Courts, Lowther Endowed School, Cumbria Women’s Rugby who recently made it all the way to Twickenham, View from the River which sees four women swim the River Eden to draw attention to sewage and pollution in our rivers, Penrith Lions, Growing Well and Matthew Whittaker.
Dan Greenwood, RSPB commented, “The atmosphere for the whole weekend was so positive and lovely. I think the atmosphere was definitely helped by the level of organisation of the event, there was very little they hadn’t thought of and we were very impressed by how clean the arena was each morning and how friendly and generous with their time people were.”
Andy Smith, Kendal Calling Co-Founder said, “We are overjoyed to continue supporting so many amazing initiatives and charities across the North. Thanks to everyone who attended and made the weekend unforgettable, blowing past last year’s fundraising total in the process. There is a lot of love in these fields. We appreciate each and every one of you, and we can’t wait to celebrate our 20th anniversary with you back in the fields!”
