‘The Survival Tour’ Charity Cycle Ride Have Completed Their 1500km Journey
Two weeks ago, a group of music professionals set off on a 1,500km charity cycle ride to support the currently suffering music events industry. Yesterday the group completed their ride in London’s Hyde Park. The journey saw the group riding from Newcastle to London, going via more than 100 UK venues and festival sites.
The campaign has raised over £23,000, but there’s still time to give. Donations to the cycle tour will be sent to Backup, which supports those who have worked in the entertainment technology industry who are affected by the current coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking with NME, Steve Reynolds, operations director for Loud Sound Limited, and one of the cyclists on the 1500km journey said “We’ve been blown away by visiting these cities and towns, meeting lots of people and hearing personal stories about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected them”.
He continued “The live events industry is an £84billion industry. It employs 600,000 people. What I saw on the journey is how these venues employ people in these cities, and how they provide culture and arts to the people who live there. They’re part of the fabric of their society. It’s not just about people having a nice time. People have real experiences [at these venues].”
“You know, in some places, like in North Allerton, the community run theatre, The Forum, is the only venue that the local community get to experience. And it has got a real chance of closing down.”
The cyclists organised ‘The Survival Tour’ because they “wanted to do something more to support people in technical production industry who are in dire straits… where support is not getting to.” Reynolds said.
Reynolds went on to say “Everyone in this industry wants to work – we want a clear plan of how we can get back to that. [We want] a proper track and trace system that can be used to help create secure and safe events, and targeted funding for those who really need it still. There also needs to be a confidence that events can run safely. And we need more notice. The exhibition industry that was ready to go on October 1 was stopped with just a week’s notice. That’s what’s really hindering things at the moment.”
Adding “Another thing is much of this industry helps with youth employment. 80 per cent of the people who join this industry do so under the age of 20.”
The Rock Fix would like to congratulate the riders for their efforts towards the industry.