Support Shrewsbury Folk Festival

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE!

We are delighted to share the news with you that we have received £93,000 from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.

This will help with our on-going running costs as we plan and deliver our 2021 festival and support the implementation of any relevant measures to ensure your wellbeing next year. It means that, along with your kind donations to our Crowdfunder appeal for Virtually Shrewsbury Folk Festival, we are in a much more positive position for the future.

In light of this award, we have taken the decision to close our Crowdfunder campaign a little early. Thank you to everyone who donated - your support will help considerably with festival running costs as well as the donation that we'll be making to Hope House.

We've raised more than £13,500, far in excess of our original £10,000 target so thank you so much to everyone for their generosity.

The SFF team

-----------------------------------

The thought of an August Bank Holiday without our annual dose of SFF magic is unthinkable.

SO WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Our finances have taken a significant hit by not being able to hold the festival this year. The festival has received NO FUNDING from the Government to deal with this totally unexpected loss of income (tens of thousands of pounds).  

Money has already been spent that we won't get back (website, design, licensing, infrastructure, PR, business costs etc etc) and we have ongoing expenses to keep the festival operational in a year when we have no income and want to plan a spectacular return in 2021.

Whilst we can assure you we will be back in 2021, plugging the gap in our finances will allow us to focus on delivering the high quality four days of music, dance and family fun you have come to expect from us. 

We didn’t want to just ask for donations without giving you something in return, which is why we are bringing you two fabulous days of folk related fun at Virtually Shrewsbury Folk Festival.  

We had­­ funding from Arts Council England’s Emergency Response Fund (thanks to all you National Lottery players) and Shropshire Council’s Arts Service (thank you!) to stage VSFF and pay everyone involved - musicians and artists.

You can still view everything at www.shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk/virtually-sff-2020/ or head over to our YouTube channel and watch it all again!

So if you have ever enjoyed our unique brand of festival magic or you just enjoy our virtual festival, please make a donation to ensure a positive future for SFF.

The festival is an independent organisation run by a very small team with an incredible army of volunteers. We have already taken steps to reduce festival expenditure (staffing costs etc) but we do need to plan and promote our 2021 event. 

Shrewsbury is about much more than the incredible music we put on – it’s about the community we’ve created, the friendships and memories we make and the experiences it gives us. And then there’s the economic benefit we bring to the many businesses involved and our beautiful town (estimated at about £1m a year).   

And we are supported by loyal suppliers, contractors, sponsors, traders and crafters who rely on our event to support their business so your donation will help them too.

What will your donation do? 

Your donation will help offset some of the significant losses we have incurred and ensure we can continue to deliver the amazing festival you are used to from 2021 onwards.

Our charity partner, Hope House, has also been impacted by the postponement of this year’s festival. Every year we raise around £7,000 for the charity’s music therapy service so we will be donating 10% of the total raised here to Hope House.

A word from Hope House

"Shrewsbury Folk Festival has been an amazing supporter of Hope House over the years, donating and raising more than £70,000. The money has meant terminally ill children have been able to find comfort and joy through music therapy. 

"In these challenging times, when charity fundraising events have all had to be cancelled and we are all struggling for funding, we are so grateful to be included in the fundraising efforts of Shrewsbury Folk Festival."

Thank you!

We know times are tough and there have been lots of requests for a helping hand in the last few months, including from other festivals that you might attend.

But we are asking our Shrewsbury family, as we come together at our favourite time of the year, to donate the cost of a few drinks, a meal or other money you might have spent at the festival, to the future of Shrewsbury Folk Festival. Anything you can give will be hugely appreciated.

Thank you for your continued love & support.

 Team SFF