Music lovers helped raise £19k at Lytham Festival for Blackpool’s Trinity Hospice and North West Blood Bikes

As 100,000 people partied over five days at this year’s festival which saw 20 artists perform over the five-day event, including George Ezra, Sting and Lionel Richie, the event’s five charities – Preston-based Mary O’Gara Foundation, Lytham’s Park View 4U, Lytham Rotary, Blackpool’s Trinity Hospice and North West Blood Bikes - benefited with a total of £19,115 raised through donations.

The individual amounts were: Mary O'Gara Foundation £3,878; Park View 4U £2,578; Lytham Rotary £3,678; Trinity Hospice £5,143; North West Blood Bikes £3,838.

Lytham Festival co-founder Peter Taylor said: “The support for our charity partners never fails to impress me and I thank every single person who took the time to make a donation.

“This year we received 68 applications from potential charity partners and when you can only choose five it makes it a really difficult decision. We purposefully selected smaller local charities for 2023 and it is clear that our customers were more than happy to support their individual causes.

“The monetary donations only form part of what it means to the charities to be selected though, as being put in front of an audience of around 20,000 people each night really gives them the opportunity to raise their profile and hopefully gain further ongoing support.”

The charities were all allocated their own headline night at Lytham Festival with an army of volunteers from each collecting donations from festival-goers.

Paul and Sharon O’Gara, founders of Mary O’Gara Foundation set up in memory of their 27-year-old daughter Mary who took her own life, led a team of volunteers for the opening night of the festival with headliner Jamiroquai.

They said: “Lytham Festival gave us not only the opportunity to raise funds, but more importantly the opportunity to talk to people and share conversations around suicide awareness and prevention.

“It also encouraged those people with lived experience of suicide to talk about and remember their loved one, which to us was priceless.”

Lytham’s community recreational facility Park View 4U was the charity partner for George Ezra’s headlining show.

Julie Norman, Park Ranger and Education Manager, said: “Thank you to the Lytham Festival team for their support and making all of our volunteers feel so welcome.

“As a small charity we were thrilled to be associated with such a high profile event, as it has helped us to raise essential funds and awareness of our charity aims in the local community.”

A capacity crowd of 22,500 people were singing in the rain as Lytham Rotary were the charity partner for the headliner show with Sting.

Rotary Club of Lytham President Dr Philip Smith, said: “The weather failed to dampen our spirits as we set about the exciting opportunity to enhance the great name of Rotary in the district and we were delighted with the generosity of everyone at Lytham Festival.”

Trinity Hospice, serving Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre, was the partner for the evening headlined by global legend Lionel Richie and Trinity’s fundraising relationship manager Jane Molyneux said: “Our team of dedicated volunteers had a fantastic time talking to the very generous festival-goers about the difference they are making for our charity while enjoying amazing music from the night’s artists.

"A very big thank you to everyone who gave on the night as well as all involved in the event.”

North West Blood Bikes, who provide a free, voluntary service for the transportation of urgent and emergency items within the NHS, was the charity partner for Lythams’s biggest ever rock night which saw headliner sets from Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe.

Project Co-ordinator Mick Steel said: “We are grateful for the opportunity to not only promote what we do, but also to be allowed to fundraise with Lytham Festival. Thank you to everyone for your generosity and for helping us to continue supporting the NHS in saving lives.”

Lytham Festival returns for 2024 from Wednesday, July 3 to Sunday, July 7. To keep updated go to www.lythamfestival.com