Free Lichfield festival celebrates crowdfunding success

A Lichfield festival has used a new crowdfunding website to help ensure it can go ahead this summer. The Fuse Festival raised £4,200 after reaching out to the local community to help with the costs of staging the free event in Beacon Park.

Now in its 17th year, the event used the Crowdfund Staffordshire platform to help reduce the financial risk facing its parent organisation Lichfield Arts. Fuse co-director Phil Beale said: “As a result of a huge squeeze on Fuse’s normal grant funding, we had an urgent need to secure additional funding from elsewhere. “We heard about Crowdfund Staffordshire via an event put on by Support Staffordshire, and decided to give it a go. “It was our first experience of crowdfunding, and we found it a quick and easy process to get off the ground, with excellent support and advice available for newbies like us.” With the funding secured, Phil and the rest of the Fuse team will now make final preparations for the event, which takes place from July 13 to 15. Cllr Gill Heath, Cabinet member for communities at Staffordshire County Council said: “It’s great news that the Fuse team has raised enough money for this year’s festival to go ahead as planned, and I’m delighted to see that Crowdfund Staffordshire was used as part of the fundraising effort. “We know that there are hundreds of groups out there with great ideas to improve their local communities and they just need funding and advice to get them off the ground. “We also know that there are people who want to donate to good local causes and projects, and that’s where Crowdfund Staffordshire can help bring both together.”