Miscellaneous - Help Musicians

  by Fiona Hutchings

published: 25 / 6 / 2010

intro

Our Website of the Month is Help Musicians, the website of the Musicians' Benevolent Fund, a British charity organisation for musicians in difficulties

Okay, okay, so I can imagine the words "benevolent fund" might not conjure up the coolest of images. Less hip, more hip replacement! Yes? No! Well, not always. Brace yourselves, people, because this month I am getting charitable on your asses! http://www.helpmusicians.org.uk might be about to celebrate their 90th anniversary, but the Musicians' Benevolent Fund remain as relevant now as they were in 1921. Their mission is quite simple "Creativity, crisis or continuing care. Helping and enabling aspiring, professional and older musicians who need it, when they need it most." Providing help and support to musicians of any age, any genre the Musicians' Benevolent Fund are there to help younger artists starting out to access grants schemes, partnerships and professional development. Older and retired artists are offered crisis and ongoing support. Each year they help more than three hundred outstanding young musicians and give two million to those in need due to accidents, illness or the difficulties getting older can present. And the scope of this support reaches beyond musicians to encompass those in related professions such as record producers and even piano tuners. The site is slick, easy to navigate and bursting with information from how they can help you to how you can help them. The section dedicated to 'Stories of Our Work' takes in a kaleidoscope of achievement from helping bassoonist Joanne Stark to study at the Royal Academy of Music to the heart warming story of singer-songwriter Glen Mason. In his twilight years and in failing health, the MBF have not only provided him and his family with invaluable financial support, but also a regular visitor to the nursing home he now lives in. Now, yes, I know we are going to stay young, productive and in the eye of the zeitgeist forever. But just in case we don't it is always nice to know there is someone around to help.