BBC Proms 2021 season collection arrangements and 2020 update
Howard Lake | 30 July 2021 | News
The Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, in association with the BBC, began their 2021 season on Friday 30th July, “marking a welcome return to some sense of normality” after the 2020 season which was severely impacted by the COVID pandemic.
After last year’s shorter season and fewer concerts and audience restrictions, the Royal Albert Hall welcomed the return of live audiences, and the Promenaders’ Musical Charities’ launch of its annual charity collection. As usual it will focused again on its two core charities: Help Musicians and Young Lives v Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent).
Online-only donations instead of collecting buckets
The trustees have decided to operate an online-only collection this year, avoiding the traditional hand-held bucket collections at the venue for the time being. This decision was made due to the uncertainty surrounding the online-only ticket system and the resulting unpredictability of how many collectors would be able to be present at each concert.
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The option to reinstate bucket collections will be kept under review for later in the season.The Charities and Their Vital Work
All donations made through Promenaders’ Musical Charities will be split between the two causes:
- Help Musicians (Registered charity No. 228089): The collection will specifically support the charity’s COVID-19 Hardship Fund. Many freelance musicians, who rely on performance work that has largely dried up, have found themselves ineligible for government support schemes, leading to severe financial difficulties. This fund provides a critical lifeline to these individuals.
- Young Lives v Cancer (Registered charity No. 1107328): Funds will continue to support the charity’s music therapy work for children and young people with cancer and their families. This support is crucial during an already difficult time, particularly as current restrictions have added extra worries. The service was suspended earlier in the pandemic, and these donations will help remobilise it, potentially moving to an online delivery model depending on hospital restrictions.
Donations can be made through dedicated JustGiving pages for each charity via the Promenaders’ Musical Charities, or by sending a cheque (or CAF cheque) as detailed on their 2021 season page.
Updates and 2020’s success
Due to concerns about spreading COVID, the traditional interval announcement providing an update on collection progress has been suspended for this year.
Updates will instead be provided regularly on the Promenaders’ Musical Charities website, Twitter account, and Facebook page. The charity is currently investigating other methods for providing updates during concerts.
The 2020 collection successfully raised a total of £7,272.08. This comprised £4,757.08 for Help Musicians UK and £2,515 for CLIC Sargent, including funds donated directly via JustGiving and £200 each from donations received in memory of a Promenader.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.