Biggest ever fundraising year in festival’s history

Charity partners have scooped more than £27,000 thanks to generous fans at the North West’s largest live music festival.

Live music fans partied for five nights at this year’s 15th anniversary of Lytham Festival which saw headlining shows from Teddy Swims, Alanis Morissette, Michael Buble, Pet Shop Boys and Pitbull.

And it can now be revealed the festival’s five charity partners – The Coastal Collective, Heartbeat, The Bobby Ball Foundation, One Fylde and Brian House Children’s Hospice – raised £27,177 through bucket collections and guestlist donations – the most ever raised by charity partners since the festival’s inception.

Festival co-founder Peter Taylor said: “This is an incredible amount of money to raise and I take my hat off to each charity for working so hard each night to encourage fans to donate. I also want to say a heartfelt thank you to every single person who donated to the charities.

“The charity partners are such an important part of Lytham Festival because not only does it give them the opportuniuty to raise money, it puts them in front of an audience who may not necessarily be aware of their work and when you have up to 25,000 people at each show that is a big audience learning what you do to help others.”

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

Supporting children and families across Lytham and St Annes, The Coastal Collective kicked off the fundraising on the opening night with headliner Teddy Swims.

Charity lead Suzanne Thomas said: “The Coastal Collective team thoroughly enjoyed being part of this year's Lytham Festival, raising much-needed funds for our local charity while also helping to raise awareness of the support and services we provide to children, young people and families across our community.”

Heartbeat North West Cardiac Care, providing specialist and rehabilitation support, collected donations on night two during Alanis Morissette’s headlining show.

Fundraising Lead Dr Sally Bridge said: ‘We were delighted to be part of Lytham Festival and are so grateful for the opportunity to raise both awareness and much-needed funds for Heartbeat. Thank you for your fantastic support.”

Meanhwile it was the turn of The Bobby Ball Foundation when Michael Buble came to town – a charity set up in memory of the beloved comedian, championing and supporting causes across lytham.

President of the charity, Yvonne Ball said: “The Bobby Ball Foundation would like to thank Lytham Festival for the opportunity to collect at this year’s festival. A huge thank you to everyone who donated or bought a raffle ticket. The funds raised will help many charities on the Fylde Coast.”

Community focused charity One Fylde, who are dedicated to empowering adults with learning disabilities and autism to live fulfilling, independent lives, were on site for Pet Shop Boys’ huge homecoming show.

Head of marketing and fundraising Josephine Cross said: “Lytham Festival was an incredible opportunity for the people we support to be visible, confident and fully part of a huge community event. Watching them share their stories, build connections and thrive alongside our wider team was incredibly powerful. The money raised is important, but the confidence, awareness and sense of belonging created through the experience is the real lasting impact.”

And the closing night with headiner Pitbull saw volunteers from the Fylde’s children’s hospice Brian House collecting donations during their 30th anniversary year.

Community Engagement Officer Gemma Webster said: “Seeing thousands of people proudly wearing Pitbull bald caps and choosing to support Brian House in our very special year was truly incredible. Thanks to their generosity, we've raised a fantastic amount that will help local children with life-threatening and life-limiting illness receive the specialist care and support they need, creating precious moments for families when every moment matters.

“We’re saying a very special thank you to our friends at Lytham Festival for once again choosing us as a charity partner and helping us celebrate Brian House's 30th birthday in such a memorable way.”