Festival set to support Worcester Foodbank

Tackling hunger will take centre stage at this year’s Worcester Music Festival which is throwing its support behind the city’s food bank.

Worcester Foodbank is set to benefit from the donations raised during the 2019 music festival, taking place across the city from 13 to 15 September.

Worcester Foodbank saw off competition from over 20 nominated charities after its plea for help in providing more than 100,000 meals to people in crisis this year struck a chord with the festival committee.

Nicola Boraston, from Worcester Music Festival, said:

“We are delighted to announce our support for the Foodbank during the 2019 festival. Now, more than ever, the Foodbank provides a really valuable service and we’re looking forward to working with them over the summer and raising lots of money to support them during the festival weekend.”

Grahame Lucas, Manager of Worcester Foodbank, said:

“It’s a huge boost to have the backing of the festival, especially at a time when we’re seeing unprecedented demand for emergency food.

As well as helping us to raise vital funds towards our rising costs, it will also give us a great platform to increase awareness of the causes of hunger and poverty in our city.”

Worcester Foodbank is the latest in a long line of charities to benefit from the festival, which has raised £55,000 for good causes since its launch in 2008.

The three-day annual festival has established itself as a firm favourite with music lovers across the region and there is always fierce completion to perform at the event.

Last year there were more than 270 performances spread across 26 venues, including theatres, live music venues, pubs, bars, cafes and even a tattoo studio and a boat.

Foodbank is hoping the event will be instrumental in helping it to raise some of the funds it needs to cope with a sharp rise in demand for emergency food, caused by the rollout of Universal Credit. Long delays in clients receiving their first payment and falling income have already forced more people to turn to food bank, since the benefit changes were rolled out in October 2018.

The charity fears referrals could increase by as much as 50 per cent this year, leaving volunteers needing to find an extra 30,000 meals compared to 2018.