Bedales Summer Rock Show fundraiser – 2 July
It may not be the end of the year as we know it, but Bedales will end the Summer term on a high this week when the legendary Rock Show is streamed online for the first time in its 17-year history in support of two important causes – Show Racism the Red Card and the John Badley Foundation. The show will be streamed on the Bedales YouTube channel on 7.30pm on Thursday 2 July.
Bedales students have been working hard behind the scenes with the school’s Head of Contemporary Music, Neil Hornsby, on the special edition of the Rock Show, which has been a highlight of the school calendar since 2004, when a light-hearted suggestion from The Who’s Pete Townshend led to its inception.
Not only will the Summer Rock Show be streamed online for the first time, it will see current students perform alongside 30 Old Bedalians, including some of the Rock Show’s most notable alumni – among them Freddy Sheed, Leah Mason (Minke), Delilah Montagu, Gabriel Bruce and Jamie Campbell-Bower.
The show will support two worthy causes: Show Racism the Red Card, the UK’s leading anti-racism educational charity, and the John Badley Foundation, which offers financial support through bursaries, enabling young people from challenging backgrounds the opportunity to benefit from a Bedales education.
Instead of buying a ticket, people are invited to make a donation via our fundraising page here.
Head of Contemporary Music Neil Hornsby says: “When the Rock Show completed its three-night run of the Olivier Theatre in February, I would never have imagined I’d be putting together a special ‘virtual’ Rock Show while in lockdown just a few months later. With so many Old Bedalians on board, the Summer Rock Show will be a historic event in more ways than one, and it will be particularly special as it has been exclusively produced and mixed by our current students. It is also a source of great pride that the Rock Show will once again be supporting two very important charities.”
Head of Global Awareness Abi Wharton, who is leading a Diversity Working Group at Bedales, adds: "As we continue to work on further developing the Bedales anti-racist curriculum and approach to diversity and inclusion, SRtRC are providing excellent, and comprehensive resources to both better train our staff and help to create anti-racist student ambassadors across the Three Schools. This fundraising will help them in their national work to provide educational workshops, training sessions, multimedia packages, and a whole host of other resources, all with the purpose of tackling racism in society."
The Rock Show is the finale in a series of virtual concerts that have brought the Bedales community together in lockdown. The May Music Concert, Open Mic Night, Junior Band Night, June Music Concert and Parents’ Day Concert are all available to watch on the Bedales Vimeo channel.
How to watch the Rock Show
We invite you to make a donation on our special Summer Rock Show fundraising page, in lieu of buying a ticket.
Make a donation to watch the Summer Rock Show
On Thursday 2 July, the Rock Show will be streamed on our YouTube channel at 7.30pm.