City musicians hand over huge sum to children's charity Love, Amelia

The team behind Sunderland’s bid to become an internationally-recognised Music City recently hosted their own version of Live Aid at The Fire Station.

Music Against Child Poverty LIVE saw performers from The Futureheads, Maximo Park, Field Music, The Cornshed Sisters, The Lake Poets and more dress as music heroes such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury to raise funds for the cause.

With ticket and merchandise sales, sponsorship and a raffle they managed to raise a huge £51,955 for Love, Amelia.

The Sunderland charity helps children in need aged from 0-16, from families living on the bread line to children with disabilities and those affected by issues such as human trafficking and domestic violence.

From its base in Hendon, the charity reaches children from all walks of life across the North East.

Named after Amelia Capewell who died when she was just 12 minutes old, the charity was founded in 2019 by her parents who, along with their team of staff and volunteers, have managed to help 20,000 children in Amelia’s name.

Amelia’s mum Steph Capewell, founder and chief executive of the charity, said: “Love, Amelia is needed all year round, but this is a particularly big help at Christmas and the New Year.

“The team already had an ambitious target of £50,000 but to exceed that shows just how fantastic the community here is.

“This money will enable us to help 1,000 children in need.”

She added: “There’s a whole host of reasons why people come to us, it’s very complex. And this money will go a long way to help us provide them with clothes, prams, beds, cots, appropriate footwear, toys and books.”

Many of the items donated by the public to Love, Amelia are pre-loved but go through quality control before they are given to children. Other items, such as nappies etc, are new or end of line stock donated by organisations.

“We only give what we would give to our own children,” said Steph. “People needed to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Speaking about her daughter, Steph said: “A charity like this shouldn’t be needed, but as a mam I love being able to do this in Amelia’s name. Nothing could be done to save her, but we can help other children. She was only with us a short time - but what an impact she has made.”

Andrew Dipper, marketing director at Sunderland Music City, said: “Our chair Paul Callaghan met Steph at an awards ceremony and heard all about the work of the charity.

“When we came into the building, we were blown away by the scale of what they do and felt that this is absolutely the right charity to support.”

He added: “This charity event at the Fire Station is a reminder of why Music City is such a great idea: it’s about changing people and place through music.”

Futureheads frontman Barry Hyde was Brian May(be) for the gig which was performed to a capacity crowd.

“It felt like such a special occasion,” he said. “The team did a fantastic job and it felt like everyone came together in a pinnacle moment in the rejuvenation of Sunderland’s music scene, from the skills on stage to front of house, it all went like clockwork.

“The Brewis brothers (of Field Music fame) need a special mention as they pretty much played in every song. And the generosity of everyone was incredible.”

This year, Love, Amelia was also awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a local voluntary group can receive, equivalent to an MBE.

You can learn more about donating at LoveAmelia.org.uk

What is Sunderland Music City

Sunderland Music City aims to establish our city as a globally-recognised music hub, with a focus on ensuring that people from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to make, learn, record, rehearse, promote, perform and listen to great music.

By developing and supporting all who are involved in music and who love music in Sunderland, it can help the city and the region thrive through job creation, talent development, economic and artistic growth, tourism development, reputation and brand building.

The next stage in the bid will be the launch of the Music City strategy in January.

A critical piece of Sunderland Music City’s ongoing work to develop music in Sunderland, the strategy aims to boost engagement with and investment in the area’s music scene by identifying key opportunities for growth and development.

The document is based on months of extensive research to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the local music scene, as well as input from music fans, artists, and stakeholders working in music-related roles across the region.

The scheme hopes that the work outlined in the strategy will stand the city in good stead to be accepted into the global Music Cities Network, a non-profit association that includes places like Berlin, Manchester, Reykjavik and Sydney.