Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody's foundation gives £50,000 to Scottish charities

A thank you after spending 14 years here
Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody.Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody.
Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody.

A foundation set up by Gary Lightbody, leader singer with rock band Snow Patrol, has handed a £50,000 funding boost to five Scottish charities.

Fife Gingerbread, Social Bite, Sense Scotland, ENABLE Scotland, and SAMH are all set to benefit to the tune of £10,000 each thanks to the Lightbody Foundation.

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The singer set it up with family and friends to support charities in Northern Ireland, but his strong links to Scotland saw him offer significant financial support to a raft of organisations.

Snow Patrol on stage at the Alhambra Theatre, DunfermlineSnow Patrol on stage at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline
Snow Patrol on stage at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline

Lightbody went to university in Dundee and spent 14 years here – and his donation comes hot on the heels of a major fundraiser for another long-established Fife charity.

Last year, the band came north to perform a one-off, sold out gig at the Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline in aid of The Craws Nest Trust charity, previously known the East Neuk Wheelchair Appeal run by Eleanor Bowman, mum of Radio One DJ, Edith. Over the last three decades, it has raised over £500,000, and bought 160 powered chairs and 30 manual ones.

Writing on his foundation’s Facebook page, Gary, said: “Even though our foundation was set up to help charities mostly in Northern Ireland, I spent 14 years in Scotland from the age of 18 and Scotland gave me and Snow Patrol so much – so I wanted to support some charities there.

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“A massive thanks and love to Edith Bowman and Eleanor Bowman for their help and guidance with choosing these amazing charities. And thanks to all five of the charities for the incredible work they all do.”

The donations were warmly welcomed by the organisations.

Jen Niven, Sense Scotland’s head of fundraising said: “This donation was a wonderful surprise, and we are so grateful to Eleanor and Edith Bowman for putting in a good word.

“It is a tremendous gesture from the Lightbody Foundation. We are delighted to say the £10,000 is a perfect fit for our arts and music projects, which allows the people we support to increase their confidence, build relationships and have fun.

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“One of those projects, Sensatronic Lab, attends our annual Festival of Fun in Fife where they give people the chance to simply make some music, so the donation will impact locally. The beat goes on!”

Linsey Proctor, from Fife Gingerbread said: “We are absolutely delighted with the donation from the Lightbody Foundation. This pandemic has proved difficult for everyone, not least those who work and are supported by local charities.

It was in 1994 that Gary and his university friends, Mark McClelland and Michael Morrison, formed the student band Shrug in Dundee.

It later went on to become Polarbear, before relaunching as the internationally acclaimed Snow Patrol – with one of the band’s earliest gigs being at the Path Tavern in Kirkcaldy.

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