A spontaneous DJ set has led to more than £1000 being raised for local community hub, Burnley Together, to help those in the area who need it the most during the COVID-19 outbreak.
DJ Anthony Mcloughlin hosted a live music stream from his living room on his personal Facebook page during the second week of lockdown and got a fantastic response. This then prompted the idea of creating a larger event on Facebook Live to be hosted by FEAST, a well-known musical collective in Burnley.
He invited other DJ’s and musicians to join in and help lift people’s spirits, with the hope of encouraging people to have fun whilst being responsible and staying at home over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
The event was free to view however, Anthony wanted to use the opportunity to give something back to his community so got in touch with Burnley Together to see if he could use the live stream to fundraise for the community hub.
Luke Hodson, from the band Badhands, kicked the event off at 3pm on Easter Sunday with an acoustic set and by the time he’d finished playing, donations had already reached more than £100.
The DJs then took turns to play 90 minute slots from their own living rooms with a mix of disco and feel good house music.
The live stream event attracted thousands of viewers of all ages and people began sharing pictures online of their households, including children and pets, joining in with the social distancing fun.
By the end of the evening, the group had raised more than £1000 for Burnley Together while helping to boost morale of people across the UK.
The funds raised will go directly towards helping those in the Burnley community who are facing additional pressures and challenges throughout the outbreak.
This will be through food parcels and other deliveries and providing support to those who are facing issues such as loneliness and financial worries. The hub is especially useful for those who may have limited mobility or a lack of support network, enabling volunteers to offer the crucial support that is needed.
Anthony said: “I was trying to come up ways to help people stay positive during this tricky time and music is a universal way to help people unite.
“Me and my friends have been DJ’ing for over 15 years, so I thought this was a good chance for us all to use our skills to raise money and put a smile on people’s faces, especially on a weekend where most of us would usually be out socialising.”
Alicia Foley, Community Investment Manager at Calico Homes, said: “It is wonderful tosee people in our community finding innovative and creative ways to raise funds for those who need it whilst encouraging everyone to stay at home and stay safe.
“We are incredibly grateful to everyone at Feast who made this happen. They have led the way in creating this fundraising event for Burnley Together and have enabled us to support even more local people in need.”