North East Musicians Stage Concert to Combat Child Poverty

Musicians from across the North East are uniting for a concert, described as “Live Aid” style, with the goal of combating child poverty. Performers, including the Futureheads and Paul Smith of Maximo Park, are scheduled to appear at a sold-out event at the Fire Station in Sunderland. Sunderland Music City, the organizing body, has promised a “number of surprises” during the event, which aims to raise £50,000 for the local charity Love, Amelia. This charity provides direct assistance to families experiencing poverty and hardship throughout Tyne and Wear and County Durham. Since 2019, Love, Amelia has distributed over 13,000 bundles of essential items to those in need. Andrew Dipper from Music Against Child Poverty LIVE commented: “It’s an incredibly exciting night for us.” He added, “A who’s who of north east music coming together as you’ve never seen them before, and there will be some great surprises.” Dipper further stated: “Over a third of children in Sunderland are living in poverty, which is shocking, and we’re trying to play our part in the fight against this.” He also remarked, “It’s great that so many people have given their time for free.” For updates, BBC Sunderland can be followed on X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram. Story ideas may be submitted to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Information about the BBC’s approach to external linking is available.