Sheffield TRACKS music project gets 'incredible' Ed Sheeran boost

BBC News

14-02-2025

A project in Sheffield which helps young people to get into music has said it was "incredible" to be awarded three years of funding by pop star Ed Sheeran's charity.The grant given by the musician's foundation to the TRACKS group would be used to set up a new youth club and take on more alternative provision students, a spokesperson said.The Shape of You star also donated guitars and equipment to help it achieve its goal of making music education more accessible to young people in Sheffield.Lucy Revis, director of TRACKS, said the donation would be "the start of so many big things".
Ms Revis said she had the chance to meet the singer-songwriter when he visited the city last May and he took an interest in TRACKS, which is run by Sheffield Music School.That same day, he also performed on stage alongside students from the Sheffield College.
TRACKS had been struggling to stretch its budget across the services it wanted to offer, so Ms Revis made her successful bid for investment when the Ed Sheeran Foundation was established in January.Ms Revis said she was thankful the group had been recognised for its role in the community, which included offering alternative provision sessions and working in hospitals."For someone to believe in what we're doing, it's incredible," she said."The kids can see someone at the top of their game thinks, 'you guys can do it as well'."It's someone they've got a connection with and they respect."Ms Revis said the money would also go towards helping students access recording studios and hold live performances in Sheffield.She emphasised it was important that young people had the chance to explore a career in the industry, regardless of their background, adding that the aims of TRACKS were also "bigger than music".Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.