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Festival raises £10,000 for free music lessons for children

Joe Bamford A woman with a guitar sings in front of a crowd in a pub. She is holding a guitar and singing into a microphone. Next to her is a speaker. People are standing beside the bar and around small pub tables to watch her. Joe Bamford
Joe said he started Ossy Fest in 2022 to raise money for local schools and break down the barriers to music education

A volunteer-led festival has raised more than £10,000 to provide free music lessons for local school children.

The four-day pub crawl-style event, dubbed Ossy Fest, took place across 23 venues in Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire between 8 and 11 August.

Organiser Joe Bamford said the youngest of the 39 featured acts, 16-year-old duo BB5, received music lessons funded by the festival at school.

"They were our first band that had received free music lessons, and that is just the start," Mr Bamford said.

Joe Bamford A band play on a stage surrounded by sound equipment. Three band members are standing and each holding a guitar. The background is a black curtain with lights and behind the guitarists, there is a drummer sitting at a drum kit.Joe Bamford
The four-day pub crawl-style festival took place across 23 venues in Oswaldtwistle and featured 39 acts.

"It's about creating self sustaining acts.

"We want to give them the chance to learn, which will open doors for them in the future. Then they can come back to Ossy and perform or teach."

Mr Bamford said he started Ossy Fest in 2022 to raise money for local schools and break down the barriers to music education that many families in the North West face.

He said every £30 the charity raised would cover one hour of tuition for someone who might not be able to afford it

"When I was at school in the late 90s and early 00s, you could get a full year of music tuition for around £150," he said.

"Now it's £30-per-hour in some places, and say you've got two kids who both want lessons, that's a lot of money."

The former teacher said children whose families could not afford music lessons were missing out on more than just music education.

"There's a number of educational benefits to learning music it a young age," he said.

"Studies show it helps them with other subjects.

"But it also builds confidence, encourages teamwork and helps kids make friends."

Mr Bamford said the festival also supported local businesses, particularly pubs, bars, theatres and libraries, and he hoped to include more in future events.

"We want to ensure musicians have future performance spaces and the opportunity to generate an income from their craft within that community."

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