Leeds student radio are putting on an online festival this Saturday 12th December in aid of the Trussell Trust foodbanks in the city.
The event, called Fed Up Fest, will see presenters from the station highlighting music, including some new songs, from musicians across the music world.
Station manager Leo Joslin said: “We wanted to do a fundraiser since we did a couple in lockdown before summer which were really successful raising money for both charities and local independents.”
The online broadcasted festival is raising money for the two Trussell Trust foodbanks in Leeds which support those in need of food and support in the area.
Event organiser Hannah Davies said: “The pandemic has hit so many people so hard and the usage of food banks has increased so much, a lot of those users being people who have never needed to use one before.
“Donating to The Trussell Trust food banks in Leeds is a way to give back to those that are struggling, especially during the holiday season which is an expensive and stressful time for a lot of people.”
The event’s Just Giving page has already raised £170 of the station’s £200 goal.
Fed Up Fest will feature music from upcoming local musicians and bands including Team Picture, Georgia Salacuri and Long Legged Creatures who said: “While you may feel hopeless focusing on the bigger picture, if we all donate to food banks (like the Trussell Trust which LSR’s Fed Up Fest is supporting) we can really make a difference to the people struggling this winter, during a pandemic.”
Lunar Sounds, another band taking part, said: “We’re really happy LSR asked us to be involved in Fed Up Fest, the lack of events this year has been tough for musicians, but it’s also been tough for charities who rely on events for fundraising.”
A similar sentiment was echoed by Elkyn who said: “I’m really glad to be a part of Fed Up Fest. LSR are a lovely bunch and looking forward to playing and listening to a load of other cool artists, all for a good cause too.”
The idea came about in response to the controversy in early autumn around free school meal programs.
Hannah said: “I initially came up with ‘Fed Up Fest’ (the name was suggested by my partner so I cannot take credit for it,) because of the government’s announcement that they would not be paying for children to have free school meals when they needed it the most.
Although the government have since reversed their decision on the school meals scheme, and will continue funding throughout school holidays, Hannah says it is still important to support food banks.
She said: “The real travesty is that events like this even need to happen to keep people fed but I am glad that so many wonderful people have pulled through to make this happen.”
You can listen to the festival from 2pm on Saturday 12th December at Listen.thisislsr.com and view the full line-up on the event Facebook page ‘LSR x Fed Up Fest,’ where you will also find a link to the Just Giving page.