Festival searches for chosen charity

Buy photos » Lea Haworth, performing outside the Guildhall, was voted Worcester Music Festival 2011's act with the best audience reaction. (s)

ORGANISERS of the Worcester Music Festival are searching for a charity to benefit from this summer's event.

People are being invited to put forward their nominations for the good cause they would like to see become the four-day festival's charity of the year for 2012.

Last year's event bolstered the coffers of the Maggs Day Centre to the tune of £7,000, helping the Deansway charity stay open an extra day during the winter months to support the county's homeless.

Fund-raising organiser Nikki Boraston said they were looking for a Worcester or county-based charity in need of funds, for a specific project or simply to survive during tough economic times.

“Since the first festival five years ago, we have raised nearly £20,000 for local charities, from Worcester Wheels to Snoezelen, a multi-sensory environment for people with severe learning difficulties,” she said.

“We are now keen to hear suggestions for this year’s charity of the year, whether it’s a small city or county cause or an independent, local branch of a national charity. Ideally, we are looking for causes that link in with the artistic ethos of the festival."

Money will be raised during this year's festival from August 24 to 27 through donations and a raffle.

The festival has been extended by an extra day this summer after 11,000 people packed out pubs, cafes, clubs and historic buildings last August to watch 300 acts, performing everything from rock and metal to hip-hop and jazz.

To put forward a nomination for the festival's charity of the year email Nikki at nikki@worcestermusicfestival.co.uk by Friday, February 3. For more information, visitwww.worcestermusicfestival.co.uk