The Stagehand COVID-19 Crew Relief Fund has now reached over £1 million for those whose careers in the live event industry have been severely impacted by the pandemic.

The fund, which launched in September 2020, has now hit £1.17 million, with Stagehand continuing to work to generate further donations and provide additional support for industry workers.

A third round of grant applications will be open until 12pm on February 12. The grants of £500 help crew facing financial crisis and experiencing food poverty. 

Stagehand, the only UK charity that specifically helps music stage and road crew, has issued over 900 grants to date, but there are still many more live events workers in urgent need of support. Over 60 per cent of the industry’s workforce are freelancers and over 20 per cent of all crew do not qualify for Government support.

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The fund has seen donations pour in from across the wider events and music industry, while campaigns such as Prints For Music, which saw iconic music prints auctioned for the charity, have provided significant contributions. 

Mike Lowe, the Chair of Stagehand’s Board of Trustees, commented: “We know that when live shows can take place again in financially viable ways, the industry will be extremely busy. Artists, festivals and venues just want to get back to work and the public are hungry to see live entertainment again. No live show of any kind can happen without the skills and expertise of the army of live events workers. I am sure that the live events industry workers who we can help, will join me and my fellow trustees in expressing our massive appreciation for making all of this happen in the most difficult and unprecedented of times.”