FEATURE:
Signed from the Heart
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush received the Editors Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards at the Palladium, London on 30th November, 2014/PHOTO CREDIT: Alan Davidson/Rex/Shutterstock
Kate Bush and Her Ongoing Charity Work
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I am going to mention this again…
PHOTO CREDIT: Kate Bush News
in other features. Where Kate Bush raised money for charity or has been involved in fundraisers. I am approaching an occasion in 1986 where she performed for Comic Relief. She has always engaged in charitable endeavours. Right from early in her career, Kate Bush has done as much as she could to raise awareness and money for charities! From Comic Relief in 1986 to last year when her Little Shrew (Snowflake) video raised funds for War Child, Bush is always giving and thinking of others. It brings me to a new occasion. Where Kate Bush is donating signed items for charity. It is amazing to think how much money she has raised for charity through the years! It would be good for someone to total all of that up. I can imagine Bush being involved in a lot more charitable causes in years to come. It is not about raising her profile or jumping on bandwagons. Whenever Kate Bush spends time and effort raising funds for charity, she does so because it means a lot to her. I am going to start off by sourcing a couple of new articles from Kate Bush News:
“Some heartwarming news about how Kate, with the generous support of her fans, has been helping to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable children around the world. US music magazine, Under The Radar, has spoken to Jim Benner, Global Music Lead of the War Child charity in their latest issue #74, The Protest Issue.
“We’ve done a Protest Issue every four or five years since 2004. As we’ve done in the past, the issue examines the intersection of music and politics and features photo shoots with musicians holding protest signs of their own making. Later this year we will auction off all the autographed signs, with all profits going to War Child UK and their U.S. fundraising arm, Children in Conflict.” The issue can be purchased here.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush signed Soundwaves art print – Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)/PHOTO CREDIT: Kate Bush News
Kate has consistently supported the War Child charity for over 30 years. The magazine article notes that Kate “…continues to go above and beyond for the charity”. War Child provides psychosocial support for children caught up in war zones, whether it’s ensuring Iraqi children get an education, providing psychological support to children who have been traumatised by conflict in Yemen, finding lost vulnerable children in Afghanistan or providing life-saving emergency aid to the children of Gaza and their families.
“In the past 12 months alone, she’s raised over £500,000 for us.” Benner beams. “She just released a short animated film, ‘Little Shrew (Snowflake),’ which conveys the vulnerability of children in war in support of War Child. It’s beautiful and timeless. I urge everyone to go to Kate’s website to watch it. We had over £100,000 in donations and dozens of news stories in one day. “Kate also recently repackaged and reissued her back catalog, including a box set entitled Lost At Sea where she repurposed artwork she did for a War Child exhibition/fundraiser in 1994, Kate has donated proceeds and has made generous personal donations.
Another successful project Kate did for us was signing Soundwaves Art prints created by digital artist Tim Wakefield. Tim creates stunning artwork from a particular song. We then get the musical artist to sign. In this instance, Kate signed prints based on ‘Running Up That Hill’ which of course has had a great resurgence, thanks to Stranger Things. We usually ask the artist to sign 100 [copies], and Kate kindly did. The demand was so great that we then asked her to sign 150 more which she did, and 100% of the profits were donated to War Child.”
You can donate directly to help War Child here. Read more about Kate’s Little Shrew animation here or watch it in the player below. Read more about her signed Soundwaves Art prints here. Read more about The Boxes of Lost at Sea, “…a hybrid of an album and a piece of artwork you could hang on the wall” here or watch the special short promo film Kate directed to introduce these special presentations, narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, in the player below”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kate Bush News
The second article from Kate Bush News was shared yesterday. It relates to four special items that Kate Bush has signed. It will help raise a lot of money for a wonderful auction. That money raised at the auction will go to support so many people. It does warm the heart that Bush continues to do so much for charities:
“From our very own Dave Cross (HomeGround): “I am very happy to announce that once again Kate Bush has donated signed items to the Cabaret vs Cancer music auction…and this year, she’s donated four, YES, FOUR items, all signed exclusively for CvC! We have got the 50 Words for Snow special vinyl Polar Edition, Before the Dawn four disc vinyl box set AND Boxes one and two of the Hounds of Love special ‘Lost at Sea’ boxes.
All items were signed by Kate this week specially for us. Having Kate’s support for CvC means the world to me, Rose Thorne and the rest of our volunteers and we will hopefully raise a lot of money to help people dealing with the effects of cancer. Please see the auction link HERE to start bidding… there’s lots of other cool things too!” Thanks for letting us know Dave – amazing work from you and the team at CvC as always! Best of luck – Seán”.
It will be no surprise to Kate Bush fans that this extraordinary artist does so much for charities. From raising so much for War Child to signed items for Cabaret vs Cancer, Bush has helped raise millions through the years. Whilst she does not do it for credit, you do feel like there should be some greater reward. In a recent feature, I suggested that a music award show should honour her. Though her being made a Dame might be out of the question (sadly), some sort of honour should come her way. However, one feels like she might reject it or feel that it puts the spotlight on her and not where it should be – and that is on charities she supports.
I look back and all of the occasions where Kate Bush has given her time and/or music to raise money for charities. Including her thirtieth birthday on 30th July, 1988, when Bush was working with other celebrities as shop assistances in Covent Garden to raise funds for the Terrence Higgins Trust. I wonder what Kate Bush will go in years to come. Her fans want a new album. That will come in the next couple of years I am sure. However, I get the feeling that Bush will donate signed items again. I am not sure she will do an big fundraiser or be involved with anything public. However, this being Kate Bush, she is going to do a lot more for a whole host of charities! I am inspired by this side of her. As I will explain in an upcoming feature, I am doing a charity walk in June to mark fifty years since Kate Bush recorded her first professional recordings at AIR Studios, London. It is brilliant that Bush helped raise so much money for War Child. At a time when it is desperately needed. How she is donating items for Cabaret vs Cancer. Each of those albums will go for possibly thousands of pounds. I do wonder what else she will be involved with this year. If no new music quite yet, then there will be updates from Bush. Maybe some more charity contributions. A hearty salute to Kate Bush! This latest round of incredible generosity is not yet the tip of the iceberg. I know that we will see Bush doing so much more for charities…
FOR many more years.