Band's summer tour raises almost £2k for young people supported by Barnardo's Highlands
A music band has completed a fundraising tour of Scotland to raise money for Barnardo’s Highlands, as well as running a summer music workshop for local children supported by the charity.
Glasgow-based band, Speak Easy Circus, has travelled and played more than 10 shows across Scotland in recent weeks, with all profits donated to support the work of Barnardo’s children’s services in the Highlands area.
To date, Speak Easy Circus has raised an impressive £1,600 plus £327 Gift Aid, which will be donated to Barnardo’s Highland services.
In addition, the band put on a full day’s music workshop for children supported by Barnardo’s Highlands, which took place in Clachnaharry.
Eleven children and young people aged from 12 to 23 took part in the day, which included introductory sessions in playing the guitar, keyboards, drums and singing, culminating in a group jamming session.
Carol-Ann Crossan Guruge, Children’s Services Manager at Barnardo’s Highlands said: “We are so incredibly grateful to all the band members of Speak Easy Circus, who have toured to raise money to support the vital work we do with children and young people across Highlands.
“The band’s music workshop was a huge success with all of the young people that attended, who each got so much from the day. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The money raised from the band’s tour will be used to run our community outreach groups in the local area, providing social, cooking and football groups to engage with children and young people and give them somewhere to go during the evenings.”
Jack Avison, Speak Easy Circus frontman, said: “Our fundraising tour for Barnardo’s was a fantastic, challenging, and overall, extremely rewarding experience. We were able to travel to some beautiful parts of Scotland, playing shows to new people and raising money for an amazing cause.
“A real highlight for all of us was the music workshop we did for Barnardo's, which was such a great experience working with an amazing group of kids. To see where the money is going to go, and the impact it would have, really hit home for us. We all left that day feeling quite humbled by the experience and lucky that we were able to take part.”
Glasgow-based charity, The Clutha Trust, travelled to support the music workshop, spending the day filming and photographing the event, to create a video which will be a memory of the day for the young people involved.
Brody Wright from The Clutha Trust said: “It was an amazing and heart-lifting experience working with Barnardo’s, and for us to be part of this with the children and young people, whose confidence just grew throughout the day. It was a great collaboration on all parts.”
Following the long periods of lockdown and many cancelled shows, Speak Easy Circus decided to embark on their fundraising tour to travel around Scotland, playing shows in some of the most remote parts of the country in places they had never visited before.
The band wanted the tour to have a positive impact and chose to donate all profits from ticket sales to charity, with Barnardo’s children’s services in the Highlands chosen due to close links with band member Jon Wallace’s family, who have fostered children with Barnardo’s in Inverness for more than 15 years.
Children’s services run by Barnardo’s across the Highlands area include Northern Lights Residential Service in Inverness, the Springboard Service supporting young people leaving care, RISE Highland Service supporting young children and their families who are affected by child sexual exploitation, supported lodgings and a service to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, which is run in partnership with Aberlour, Right There and Highlands Council.