Kendal Calling raise money for charity

Kendal Calling organisers have raised thousands of pounds for charity, despite the festival being cancelled.

The annual music event – usually held in the summer in the Lake District, Cumbria – was cancelled this year owing to the coronavirus pandemic but it moved to be virtual in order to raise funds for important charities including the North West Air Ambulance Service, Guide Dogs for the Blind, St John Ambulance, Alder Hey Children’s Charity and Hospice at Home.

Bringing “the experience into the home”, there was a weekend of live sessions, classic sets from previous years and interviews, all broadcasted on local radio, whilst special limited edition merchandise was sold to net in another £12,000.

Festival founder Andy Smith said: “The donations we receive for our festival charities every summer make a huge difference to the important work they do. When we realised that this year’s festival wasn’t going to take place, we knew how important it was to find an alternative way to raise money for them. Kendal Calling Radio weekend became a celebration of the selfless volunteers in the north who work tirelessly and with few resources.”

It is not the only good deed the festival has done.

In 2019, tents left behind at the festival were collected by Carlisle Refugee Action Group and then distributed to Calais and Dunkirk in order to house migrants in the French cities.

The festival is to return to Lowther Deer Park on 29 July, 2021.

Article source: https://www.contactmusic.com/news/kendal-calling-raise-money-for-charity_6325606