Credit: Brook Hackney
Young talent is being asked to perform at the Stokey Music Festival, to raise awareness and money for the charity Brook, which runs the local sexual health service Come Correct in Hackney.
The event is a new multi-venue festival that is taking place in Stoke Newington across many bars, pubs, restaurants, street corners and even churches on October 23-25.
Kevin Lennon, CDS Practitioner, Hackney & The City, told EastLondonLines: ”As soon as the festival was announced the social media hit the roof with 1000s of people saying they were attending before any of the line-up was even announced.”
Most of the events will be free and the line-up consists of well-known bands from all over the UK as well as local talent.
Come Correct is a condom distribution scheme for young people in Hackney. Last year on average of 253 condoms were distributed every day in Hackney through Come Correct.
Some of the stage acts at Stoke Newington Festival – Credit: Brook Hackney
Lennon went on to say that ”The festival is a joint effort between Brook, Mascara Bar and Hackney. The motivations behind the festival are to promote the local pubs and bars of Stoke Newington, promote local musicians and to raise awareness and money for Brooks local projects.”
“Come Correct is available to all under 25s who can sign up to get a condom card (c-card) which can be used to collect free condoms in over 80 locations in Hackney as well as across the whole of London.”
This year’s festival will also have an under-18s Young People’s Venue located in St. Paul’s Church on Stoke Newington High Street. They are is still looking for young performers to come forward to play at the venue, with all genres of music welcome during the evenings of Friday and Saturday.
Adam Towndrow, who has been supported by Young Hackney to organise the Young People’s Venue told ELL: ”The response has been very positive and I’m encouraged by not just the volume, but the quality. We can still squeeze in more performers, so it’s not too late to get involved.”
When asked if there would be handed out free condoms at the festival, Towndrow said he would speak to the organisers to see if condoms is an appropriate measure .
Those attending the festival will be able to donate to the Brook charity using the donation buckets that will be present in every participating venue.
Donations can also be made at any time by texting ‘SNMF15 £5’ to 70070, which will donate £5 to Brook (to give more, simply change the number after the pound sign).
