Plans are coming together for Alderley Edge to host their inaugural two week music festival to raise money to help Oxfam.
Oxjam began in 2006, with the aim of creating a network of music-loving people across the UK, all united by a shared goal - to raise money to fight poverty and suffering around the world.
Nine years on it is still going strong and now it is coming to Alderley Edge where organisers are hoping that the whole village will get involved, from schools, retailers, restaurants, other businesses and community groups of all ages.
Oxjam Alderley Edge will kick off on October 9th with a Open Mic evening at The Yard and run through to the Grand Finale on Friday October 24th when a Voice style competition will take place at the Festival Hall. Contestants from two age groups (5-11 and 12-16 year olds) will compete to attract the attention of the panel of judges, including a music industry professional, a musician and a celebrity, and ultimately to be crowned The Voice.
A whole calendar of events will be scheduled to take place during the daytime and evenings, in a variety of venues across the village as well as busking in the streets. Initial ideas for the festival also include musical workshops for children of all ages covering guitar, singing, beatbox and song writing, YogaJam, poetry and dance events.
Sadie Pickering, the driving force behind Oxjam Alderley Edge, is urging local businesses and organisations to get involved by hosting their own musical event, as well as helping to distribute t-shirts, tickets etc and help set up events.
Sadie commented "I've been working with Oxfam for a while now through The Yard. I love the Oxjam North-west team - they are so fresh and committed. Our Oxjam gig with 'Musaic' last October was a huge success I wanted to make it bigger this year and branch out into the village. There's so much local creative talent here so it seems like the perfect thing - we'll be showcasing all our village has to offer with such a buzz over the 2 weeks with everyone having fun and raising money for Oxfam.
"I'm so thrilled by the response from local businesses and community too already. From the work I've been doing with the charity they've invited me to go on an Oxfam tour to Nepal in November to see how our donations fund important projects. I'll be visiting two while I'm there - one which helps women create sustainable businesses and one called 'Raising her voice' which is about empowering women to engage effectively in governance. I'll be documenting my trip with a video diary and will do talks when I come back."
Sadie added "I would like to think my music could be a vehicle to express my experience. Our first Oxjam Alderley Takeover is a really special thing and I'm so excited about it. I would love it to happen every year and continue to raise awareness!"
If you are interested in getting involved or entering the Voice competition please contact Tom at [email protected]. Organisers are planning to have a calender of events in place by the middle of next week so request that you please get in touch before then.
