There is no denying that the current situation has caused untold disruption, damage to the economy and worse of all unjustifiable loss of life. However, like all things, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. An action which allows you to hope. Even in times of uncertainty, it is human nature for us to unite under a banner, be creative and make the best out of a bad situation. One such example is the #LiveForLove campaign. An example of humanity bringing the best out of a bad situation. We sat down with the campaigns founder Hannah Ford to dig a bit deeper into the work the organisation has been doing on behalf of The Trussel Trust who run the 1200 food banks centres in the UK.
Before this strange and difficult period of lockdown that we all find ourselves what did normal life involve?
Before the lockdown began, my version of normal life involved living in North London working as a freelance events producer. I’d just finished a contract in Berlin and was starting to line up festival work and booking in shows for the summer. I also have a bus that’s converted into a stage which I was extremely excited about launching as a pop-up bar. All of these plans were shot in the foot when the c-word took over.
All my plans were cancelled, no foreseeable income, my mum was stuck in India trying to be repatriated and my dad was and still is working as a doctor for the NHS. I was starting to feel the weight of it all and needed a focus and a goal. I’d been reading a lot about homelessness and the extreme poverty that exists in the UK and how COVID-19 would affect these most vulnerable, so I decided to put all my energy and now free time into something positive so launched #LIVEFORLOVE
What is Live For Love and where did the inspiration come from?
#LIVEFORLOVE is a fundraising campaign bringing together musicians, DJs and producers from all across the nation to live stream in aid of UK food banks. We have weekly line ups and daily streams – each stream goes out via the artists Facebook fan page, includes our hashtag #LIVEFORLOVE and the fundraiser link. We then use our Facebook group to post line ups, streams and upcoming artists. –
I’m very proud to say that the campaign has currently raised £9,000 with this total going up quicker and quicker as more people get involved. We are aiming for £20,000 which will go directly to The Trussell Trust who run the 1200 food banks centres in the UK, helping support the people that need it most during this difficult time.
Talk us through some of your past guests? Has there been a highlight and how have you been getting people involved?
Over the past 3 weeks, there have been 60+ artists, producers and DJs on board from the likes of
- Deekline
- Krafty Kuts
- Crystal Fighters
- Jimi Needles
- General Roots
- Chris Tofu
- Threads Radio and
- Swing & Bass.
It’s been really exciting to see the amount of people that are getting in touch wanting to be part of it!
What is the hardest challenge of organising something of this scale and is there anything our readers or your viewers can do to help?
The hardest challenge about running this campaign has been the sheer workload, the scheduling, graphics and constant communication to make sure that we have a strong line up each week. It’s like a full-time volunteering job!
There are lots of ways readers can get involved:
- Joining our Facebook group and sending us a message if you want do a live stream.
- Donating and sharing the fundraiser www.gofundme.com/liveforloveuk
- Following our instagram page @liveforloveuk
- Emailing us if you have any ideas on how to grow the campaign; links to press, festivals or brands that might want to shout about it – liveforloveuk@gmail.com
Finally, what have we got to look forward to?
Each week there are 20+ artists scheduled in, including a special set from Artwork this Saturday 18th April, a set from Andy Blake with live visuals and a Hootannany’s Brixton Take Over on the 25th, plus LOADS MORE!
