21 July 2013

Attitude is everything - music is for everyone

Our world is brimming with good and worthy causes in need of our support:  
from saving coral reefs and protecting the beetles, to bringing an end to poverty or creating shelter for the vulnerable. 
There is no end to humanity's and our planet's needs.
Sometimes it can feel hard, and you wonder how you can make a difference at all, as some of the objectives seem gigantic and beyond our reach.
We've been supporting 'Attitude is Everything' since its early days.
It's a charity close to our heart, aiming to improve access to music venues for people with disability and hearing difficulty.

Nothing far fetched about that. Their work is dead straight-forward. Their message simple and to the point: 'We want everyone to be able to attend a gig or festival.'
And it doesn't take that much for a venue to become accessible: a little bit of cash and some good-will - that's all it takes.
Going to gigs and festivals was such a big part of my growing up, discovering 'my tribe' shaped who I am and helped me find my feet in the world, that I find it difficult to imagine my life without it - yet, this is sadly what many music lovers everywhere have to face: unable to attend gigs, because something as simple as a ramp or a disable loo is not available.
People: we have a rolling rover with a super hi-def camera on Mars, surely we can make sure every music venue in the land is accessible to all?!
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Every now and again people ask me what it was like sleeping with ' xxxxxxxxxx ' or singing with ' you know who ' - but I have to say, that although I have met an awful lot of cool and lovely people,  only very few have left me feeling humbled:
Suzanne Bull, the Jefe at AiE, is one of them.
Determined, driven, with more attitude than a punk band on speed, she is a real life force and an inspiration to us all mortal folks.
Very pleased she was recently awarded an MBE - but she deserves way more than mere royal approval: she commands respect from us all.
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So, if you're a music lover, like myself, who believes everyone has the right to access live music:  http://www.attitudeiseverything.org.uk/  might just be the pet charity for you.
miss Monteiro and Lady Su















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