The Isle of Wight Festival has today (Monday) announced details of its local charity initiative, which successfully launched last year. Local charities and causes on the island are invited to apply for tickets to this year’s festival to use in their fundraising activities via a ballot system.
Some 20 pairs of tickets worth £10,000 are available; with organisations able to apply up until 22nd April with a brief explanation of what they intend to do with the tickets for the benefit of their charity. This local initiative continues the support the festival has given over its 15 years to not only charities, but also schools, sports teams and musicians on the island. Last year’s debut initiative saw 20 local charities each receive a pair of tickets for various fundraising activities including raffles, online auctions and competitions.
This news follows the announcement of The Isle of Wight Festival’s national charity partnership with Stand Up To Cancer, which will launch with a Dragon Boat Race at Island Harbour on Thursday 21st April.
Over the last decade, The Isle of Wight Festival has ‘given back’ to the island community through working with local charities and organisations including the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, Daisy Chains, the Beaulieu Respite Centre, Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, Quay Arts, Dimbola Lodge and Pink on Wight Breast Cancer campaign. For the last three years, St Catherine’s School has been a lead charity cause for the festival, with money raised via the media accreditation box office donated towards new equipment – over £2.5k has been raised to date for this residential school for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.
Isle of Wight Festival organiser John Giddings is also a patron of Platform One, the island’s music college, who every year run a competition for local acts to win the chance to play the festival’s Main Stage. Local scout group Wight Rovers will be returning to the festival campsite this year to salvage unwanted tents left by the crowds at the end of the weekend.
Festival tickets have been donated to several national charities over the years to help raise much-needed funds, including Cancer Research UK, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, British Red Cross, Breast Cancer UK, the Ellen MacArthur Trust, Tickets for Troops, the Anthony Nolan Trust and Make A Wish.
The Isle of Wight Festival takes place 9th-12th June at Seaclose Park, Newport.
