In aid of Stagehand's #ILoveLive campaign, Eric Clapton is raising money for UK stage crew affected by the pandemic.
by Eric Clapton in United Kingdom
Thank you for your support in helping us raise £20,499 for stage crew impacted by the pandemic.
Thanks to your generosity, the campaign has exceeded our expectations. We raised a total of £535,840 which will go directly to Stagehand Charity who will distribute the funds to stage crew who have suffered due to Covid-19.
Many congratulations to Roan from Zwijndrecht, Netherlands who won the prize draw. Thanks again and we hope to see you all again very soon.
Eric Clapton is raising money for stage crew charity Stagehand’s #ILoveLive campaign, which is providing financial help for all UK stage crew who are in the greatest need. Stage crew seem to be the forgotten ones in the current pandemic. They’re the unsung heroes of the live entertainment world. Without them shows just couldn’t happen.
The impact of Covid-19 has been devastating for the whole music industry but particularly for the stage techs, sound engineers, guitar techs, keyboard techs, drum techs, stage managers, production managers, tour managers and other live support personnel who make shows possible.
With no shows since March, crew’s income has been slashed with many finding that they are ineligible for any kind of government financial aid. Many are in desperate need and most are sitting with mental health issues.
Let’s help raise some money to support them this winter. It could literally save lives.
Eric Clapton has donated his Martin Custom Acoustic guitar to this prize draw fundraising campaign.
To be in with a chance of winning the the guitar we are holding a prize draw with each entry costing £5. You can enter multiple times.
Entries can be purchased between Friday 27th November and Thursday 17th December. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 23 December.
The guitar is a Martin custom shop OM, made for George Gruhn guitars, from highly figured “sinker” mahogany, from trees which were harvested in Belize between 1880 and 1920. When these trees were cut down, the logs were floated down rivers to the sawmills. Approximately one third of the wood sank during the process. The wood was lost for nearly a century, but with the use of sonar and scuba gear, the wood was found and acquired by Martin Guitars
Prior to being offered as part of the fundraising effort for Stagehand’s #ILoveLive campaign this guitar was sat in Eric Clapton’s sitting room and has been played at home since he acquired it.
Eric Clapton will dedicate the guitar to the winning ticket holder.
By buying at least one entry at £5 you will be entered into the prize draw. If you buy multiple entries you stand a higher chance of winning. To enter you must select one of the entry reward options on this page. You can also enter the prize draw without donating by post. See terms and conditions for details. By donating and entering the prize draw you agree to the terms and conditions.
You can make a donation without entering the prize draw using the donation box toward the top of the page.
Founded in 1996, the PSA is the trade association for individuals and businesses providing technical production services to live events. A member funded, member focussed, organisation, the PSA membership consists of around 2000 self employed technicians and 300 memberships in technical supply businesses.
Stagehand is the public facing name of the PSA Welfare and Benevolent Fund; a registered charity launched over 2 decades ago with the aim of raising and distributing funds for members, former members and their families who fall on hard times through illness or injury. More recently, the trustees launched a ring-fenced fund to subsidise Mental Health First Aid training for self employed members, as part of our mission to improve our sector’s approach to mental health.
The crisis in our sector caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has shifted the focus to those unable to work due to the current crisis. Live production workers and businesses were amongst the first to be affected, it is now clear that many live production crews are reaching a critical point with basic living expenses outstripping income. This applies across the board, from those people that earn a living building and operating shows at grassroots level to those that work with the largest stadium artists.
Extensions to the Job Retention Scheme have come too late for many companies; they were forced to make redundancies in the summer. 20% of self employed workers fell through the cracks in support; these are the people we intend to support through this fund.
Our immediate plan is to help the crew in most need, those who are close to losing the roof over their head, or those that are struggling to put food on the table. Grants will be considered to any UK crew worker who is working in the live music sector. They do not have to be PSA members.
This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.