We know the past year has been bad, we don’t need reminding! So we’re not going to focus on that. We’re going to focus on you.
We want to bring the live events industry together in a show of solidarity for all those still working or training and those who have had to walk away due to personal and financial hardship.
We want to show support for those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, for those that have lost family members, for those that have lost homes and livelihoods and for those that have put their lives on hold.
We want to send a message of hope and support.
We want to put an arm around the live events industry and let all of the individual people involved know that they are still loved and cared about.
And we would like you to help us do that.
We would like you to help us Light It In Red from Monday 15th March to Friday 19th March 2021 not only by illuminating buildings and structures but on social media too.
As the message this time is one of hope and support, we are asking people to to use the symbol of a heart to send their message.
Your support could be shown by simply posting the attached heart logo on social media or could be as grand as building a heart out of lights, flight cases or truss, and including your message of hope and support for the live events industry.
We are not asking people to break any kind of restrictions. We are not asking people to spend money, hire equipment, call in favours or bring in staff who are currently furloughed. It is about utilising the resources immediately at hand without causing any additional stress. You could create any images or videos in advance to share from Monday 15th March.
We will not be doing a map or registration this time, but we would love for you to share any images and videos you create with us by emailing them to hello@lightitinred.co.uk with the details of Company/Individual, location, photographer/videographer and your message of hope and support to the industry so that we can share them on social media.
We are also asking you to pick up the phone. Phone a friend or colleague and say “hi”. Reconnect with each other and remind each other that you are valued and missed. Remind everyone that help is out there if they need it. The below organisations are just a few that are available to the live events industry.
Backup – The Technical Entertainment Charity – provides financial support to industry technical professionals working in live events, theatre, TV and film.
Are you or a family member seriously ill or suffering from an accident and needing support?
Is there someone you know who needs help?
Backup offers support and help to get you back on your feet.
#WeMakeEvents is an international movement to highlight that the live events sector urgently needs support from local governments to survive the Covid-19 crisis. Our focus is to get Government initiatives to help the industry back to work while providing support until it can fully return to work: RESTART LIVE.
Music Support provide help and support for those in or employed by the UK music industry affected by mental ill-health and/or addiction.
We facilitate education and learning via workshops and training to individuals and organisations in the industry so they may be better equipped in the areas of awareness, early intervention and prevention.
To help you keep on top of your daily wellbeing, we recommend the Thrive app, courtesy of Music Support. Free for a limited period, Thrive is an #NHS-approved wellbeing app, giving you 24/7 support at the push of a button. Find out more and download: https://musicsupport.org/thrive-app
#MakeItBlueUK raises funds for a range of mental health charities and initiatives. As live event professionals, our missions are to support those of our industry colleagues who are in need, and to promote public mental health awareness through arts, culture and entertainment projects.
The Theatre Artists Fund has been set up to provide emergency support for theatre workers and freelancers across the UK. It is for theatre professionals who are in need of urgent and critical financial support due to the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the theatre sector.
We will be marking 16 March, the anniversary of theatres closing, and are asking leading performers, theatre makers and industry colleagues to take part in a video and selfie campaign to help raise donations for the Theatre Artists Fund, which is still vital for supporting struggling freelance theatre workers while theatres remain closed. Please find information on our selfie and video requests in the PDF here (NB: please do not share the collage and videos in the PDF on social media).
