Update Sun 11:20am: Appeal tops £8K for local charities! Ukes pass 24hr target.
Southampton Ukulele Jam (SUJ) will be strumming around the clock this Saturday (Aug 9) as it attempts a 24-hour record-setting, fundraising UKe-athon in support of four local charities.
Live UK-athon stream from here

 

The event begins at 10am on Saturday at God’s House Tower, and is free to attend in person or online via livestream – but you will be asked to donate and help spread the word about the attempt.

In an audio interview with bitternepark.info, SUJ co-organiser Colin McUke describes the Jam as a “remarkable thing” that has grown from a street theatre-inspired community activity into something of an inclusive musical phenomenon, with huge numbers of people involved every week.

“We don't charge anything to attend the Jam,” he says. “Anybody and everybody are welcome.”

In the interview Colin recounts a typical comment from a Jam member, who once told him: “I never thought I would be in a gigging band. I have no musical talent whatsoever, but I've just played a gig as part of a gigging band … I loved that.”

Funds raised through the event’s JustGiving page will benefit The Society of St James, Yellow Door, No Limits, and Mountbatten Hampshire – organisations working in areas such as homelessness, domestic abuse, young people’s support and end-of-life care.

Listen free to our 20-minute background interview with Colin McUke - recorded in the “kit-heavy” bitternepark.info studio - on our digest+ Substack channel, where there's also a transcript.

You’ll find the jam at southamptonukulelejam.co.uk, Facebook, and Instagram.

Donate or share to the fundraiser via justgiving.com/page/southampton-ukulele-jam-ukeathon