Award-winning comic joins Hackney Giving Live to raise funds for local charities
Residents can raise cash for local charities and enjoy a laugh with one of Britain’s best stand-up comics as the Hackney Giving Live crowdfunding night returns for a second year.
The Dragons’ Den style event, on Monday 13 April, will see three community groups pitch to a live audience of people who live and work in the borough to raise funds for their projects.
The audience will be treated to an exclusive performance from award-winning stand-up comedienne and Hackney local, Ava Vidal - a regular on shows Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow and Kings of Comedy - at the event between 6pm and 9pm at Lyst Studios in Hoxton Square.
Last year, £10,000 was raised and split between three Hackney initiatives This year, the charities pitching are: award-winning youth group The Crib, which wants to fund a music project designed to strengthen relationships between youths and police; Women and Young People’s Safety Solutions, which provides self-defence training for women; and Evergreen Play which wants to develop a supervised adventure playground for young people.
Jake Ferguson, Head of Hackney CVS which founded Hackney Giving, said: ‘Hackney is a thriving borough with a great sense of community. However, alongside the increasing wealth and business start-ups in Hackney, some of our residents experience disadvantage and poverty and this is why we set up a local giving fund to enable local community groups to deliver suitable projects. So please join us at Hackney Giving Live - as well as being a fantastic way to support local community projects, it promises to be a lively and inspiring night out.”
Tickets, which are £10, can be booked at: www.hackneygiving.org.uk
Hackney Giving is a fantastic and really simple initiative with the potential to make a huge difference to our borough.
Since February 2014 Hackney Giving has raised £200,000 and so far distributed over £100,000 to a wide range of community organisations.
Funded projects include weekly drop-in sessions for deaf parents and their pre-school children, a therapeutic gardening project for people living with HIV; training and advocacy for disabled people; and a drop-in advice service for migrants and refugees.