After a sell-out vintage year for Truck Festival in 2019, 2020’s event was set to be bigger and better than ever before. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, Truck was forced to cancel, and celebrations moved online instead. However, the charitable spirit of Truck remained a shining light in dark times. The festival and fans raised £15,000 for some amazing local organisations.
In support of Be Free Young Carers, The Abingdon DAMASCUS Youth Project and The Steventon Darby and Joan Club, Truck Festival sold special t-shirts and limited-edition Big Smoke Brew Co. x Truck pale ale, held an incredible raffle competition and streamed exclusive virtual performances from Blossoms, Mystery Jets, BETSIE GOLD and many more. A stellar pub quiz hosted by Shaun Williamson, plus a morning workout from the fantastic Mr Motivator, also encouraged donations.
Sabiene North, Fundraiser and Events Co-ordinator for Be Free Young Carers, commented; “We are delighted that Truck Festival have chosen to support us with a generous donation. Covid-19 has had a significant impact on our fundraising this year but having the support of Truck Festival means that we can continue our important work in providing for Oxfordshire's Young Carers. We will be using the funds to support our respite activities that we are putting on for our young carers in the October half term. The funds will also be put towards our befriending service, offering our young carers the support that they need.”
From The Abingdon DAMASCUS Youth Project, Trustee Rita Atkinson said, “We are extremely grateful to Conor and his team at Truck for raising this huge amount of money for us. It is a life saver in this pandemic as we are not able to raise funds through our own local events. The funds will be used to ensure that we continue to provide one-to-one professional youth work support to the most vulnerable young people in the communities we serve, so that they are not isolated and disadvantaged.”
A young person part of The Abingdon DAMASCUS Youth Project added, "It’s awesome that Truck have raised money for our charity. It shows that they are more than just a festival, they care about the young people here. I’ll be getting my ticket as soon as possible for next year."
Truck Festival have also sponsored the Steventon Junior Cricket Club. This money has provided kit for the team, as well as subsidised shirts from £20+ down to a £10 cost for families - so everyone has the chance be involved.
"We're grateful to Truck Festival for their generous sponsorship of the junior cricket club,” says Coach Joe Bennett. “It's not just the financial contribution, although that was instrumental, it's also brilliant to have that link with our local festival. The relationship between village and festival has always been symbiotic, and it's great to strengthen that bond further. Plus, the kids walk out on to the pitch feeling 10 feet tall because they have the coolest shirt sponsor!”
Steventon Junior Cricket Club, Photo credit: Faye Anderton
Due to fans rolling over their tickets 70% of Weekend tickets have already sold, meaning Truck Festival is able to go ahead from 23rd – 25th July 2021. Tickets will go on sale Monday 5th October at 6pm.
Over the past seven years, Truck Festival has raised over £365,000 for local, national and international charities. Speaking on Truck’s continuing success, festival organiser, Conor Burns, added “Charity fundraising has always been at the heart of Truck since 1998 and although, for obvious reasons, this year's event couldn't go ahead we wanted to support the vital work that Be Free YC, DAMASCUS and the Darby and Joan Club do in the local community, especially during these difficult times. To raise over £15,000 has totally blown us all away and it's all down to the generosity of the wonderful Truck community. We cannot wait to welcome everyone back in 2021, it's going to be the party of the summer!”
See full list and further information about the charities helped by 2020’s event below:
Be Free Young Carers: https://befreeyc.org.uk/ - Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn
The Abingdon DAMASCUS Youth Project: http://ycat.org.uk/ - Facebook
Steventon Junior Cricket Club: https://www.steventoncc.org.uk/
Steventon Darby & Joan Club
Truck Festival 2021 will take place on 23rd – 25th July. Tickets are on sale from 5th October at 6pm, available from https://truckfestival.com/tickets/
