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With the majority of us having purchased tickets for summer motives far in advance, it’s undeniable that 2020’s unexpected turn – a global pandemic – has caught us slightly off-guard. From concerts to flights and festivals, events have been postponed or cancelled one-by-one and this includes the much-anticipated Strawberries and Creem Festival.
With a line-up including Grammy-winners and Dancehall icons Sean Paul and Koffee as headliners, the festival scheduled for later this June had sold some 20,000 tickets. Though only launched 6 years ago by six friends as a garden party for likeminded music fans, Strawberries and Cream has rapidly made a name for itself and grown into one of the largest festivals in Cambridgeshire.
2019 saw the likes of Mahalia, Stefflon Don and Sean Kingston take stage. In 2015 it became Skepta’s first ever festival performance of his iconic “Shutdown” and has year after year displayed its commitment to featuring both old school royalty, whether that be ShyFx or T-Pain, alongside once up-and-coming artists like Octavian and AJ Tracey.
Strawberries and Creem undoubtedly does its part for the culture in featuring some of the best talents across musical genres like Afrobeats, Dancehall, UK Rap, Hip Hop, R&B, Garage, Grime and more. And now amid the coronavirus pandemic which has claimed the lives of 33,000+ in the UK alone, Strawberries and Creem has turned its focus onto supporting the community.
Speaking on the collection, Founder Chris Jammer stated:
“Rather than abandon the project, we decided to re-purpose the clothes in light of the current situation. We wanted to use the opportunity to try and bring a smile to faces, despite the hard times we are all facing - and, more importantly, provide support to the communities who need it most during this crisis.”
Partnering with Age UK in its new project, Strawberries and Creem festival and Creem Clothing have released a line of merch now available to pre-order. £2 of every item sold from this limited collection will go towards supporting Age UK, a charity whose work with over 70s is particularly crucial during the coronavirus crisis.
With the elderly being more at risk of contracting the virus and dying from it, many have been forced to stay isolated from close friends and family. As a result, the demand and the need for Age UK, the leading charity in helping older people, has never been higher.
In working with and supporting Age UK, Strawberries and Creem stays true to their mission statement: “celebrate heritage, champion future”. Their commitment to bringing together the community irrespective of age in music now resonates on a larger scale during this time as it calls on the UK's younger generations to support society's older members.
Though “summer is cancelled” in some respects, Strawberries and Creem proves that some positivity can come out of a bad situation. Lockdown culture and social distancing doesn’t mean we can't still be there for others in other ways.
Strawberries and Creem’s limited edition merch can be purchased here.