14th December 2022
Christmas Covers Party supports hospice in 20th anniversary event
Music is the gift that keeps on giving and it’s been giving to the hospice for the past 13 years thanks to the Christmas Covers Party – an annual event put on by Nottingham bands and promoters – due to take place this year on 17th December.
Nottingham band Seachange organised the first Christmas Covers Party in 2002 and will reform to play at the 20th anniversary event this year. Over the last two decades 114 Nottingham bands have performed 439 different cover versions.
Since 2009, organisers have raised more than £20,000 for charity through the event, splitting the proceeds between Nottinghamshire Hospice and one or two other charities.
Apart from a two-year hiatus due to Covid restrictions, the event takes place each year on the last Saturday before Christmas. This year’s party at Nottingham’s Bodega club looks set to sell out its 220 capacity.
Nick Lawford, one of the organisers of this year’s event, said: “We’re very proud to be celebrating two decades of Nottingham’s music community coming together in the name of festive fun and charity.
“The Christmas Covers Party is an occasion where Nottingham bands get to let their hair down and have fun.
“It will be a jam-packed evening of musical surprises and artistic abandon!”
This year’s party features nine bands, including some that performed at the legendary first event in 2002.
“They’re all serious bands who usually perform their own material but on this one night they get to play covers, so they may play a completely different kind of music from their usual genre,” Nick added.
“There are strict rules. We have a database of songs that have been played in previous years and no repeats are allowed!”
Bands also observe strict secrecy, not revealing what they are going to play until the night.
All the bands, sound engineers and promoters give their time free, so money from ticket sales all goes to the chosen charities. This year the money will be split between the hospice, Framework and The Brain Tumour Charity.
Chris Summerlin, from music promoters Damn You! who ran the event for many years, said a decision was made to support Nottinghamshire Hospice because some of the collective had experience of using hospice services through friends or family members.
“We wanted to support a local charity, where a donation of a thousand pounds or so would be used for something tangible, rather than going into a huge national pot.”
“A few of us had seen what a positive impact organisations like Nottinghamshire Hospice have and we could see how the money we raised could have a real impact.
“The idea that we could make someone’s end of life better in the city that we live in seemed like a good one.”
Paul Hawkins, Individual Giving Fundraiser at Nottinghamshire Hospice, said: “We’re so grateful for the Christmas Covers Party’s unwavering support over the years.
“It’s wonderful to be associated with such a dynamic, creative and fun event.”