Beggars Group CEO to Swim English Channel to Raise £200,000 for Coronavirus Relief and Black Lives Matter

Jem Aswad
·2 min read

We at Variety try to shine a light on good deeds, and although we can’t say we condone Beggars Group CEO Paul Redding’s ambitious goal of swimming the English Channel in an effort to raise £200,000 for coronavirus relief and Black Lives Matter, we do applaud his intentions (and optimistically assume that he knows what he’s doing!).

Redding aims to raise £200,000 for two music charities, the PRS Foundation (in the U.K.) and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund (U.S.). According to the announcement, the funds will be split evenly between the two charities: the proceeds raised for the PRS Foundation will help them “power up” Black music creators and Black industry professionals through a large-scale program they will announce later this year; the donation to Sweet Relief will go directly to their Covid-19 Fund, which provides financial support to U.S.-based musicians and music industry workers affected by Coronavirus.

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At the time of this article’s publication, donors had pledged more than £28,000 with 20 days to go. For more information and to donate, visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/beggars-ceo-swims-english-channel

The English Channel is 21 miles across at its shortest distance, although currents can make the journey longer.

Beggars Group — home to the independent record labels 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade, XL, and Young Turks — has already committed to donating £1,000 for every mile Redding covers, plus an extra £25,000 should he complete the Channel challenge. Redding’s donations reflect the company’s primary bases in London and New York.

All money donated will be received by PRS Foundation (in the U.K.) and split equally with Sweet Relief. All data will be shared between Beggars, PRS Foundation and Sweet Relief.

 

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