# BBC Proms 2021 season collection arrangements and 2020 update

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/07/30/bbc-proms-2021-season-collection-arrangements-and-2020-update/
- Published: 2021-07-30T12:03:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**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](https://promenadersmusicalcharities.com/history/charities-supported/support-by-year/2021-season/).

## 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](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/09/11/the-last-night-of-the-covid-proms-season-approaches/)
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**.