Leading charity warns that young people could lose access to UK grassroots music projects within a decade

A leading charity has claimed that young people in the UK could lose access to grassroots music projects within the next decade, leading to the launch of a new project to prevent it from happening.

Youth Music – which plays a key role in helping young people make music in marginalised communities – said that young people across eight UK regions will lose access to grassroots youth music projects within a decade.

New statistics from the charity say that some 41 per cent of grassroots youth music projects are at risk of folding, a rise of 17 per cent on last year.

There is also the issue of waiting lists, with 54 per cent of the charity’s partners facing a backlog of young people who wish to access music but have been hampered by a lack of funds. This equates to Youth Music only being able to support one in five applicants – leaving over 260,000 young people without support.

Now, Youth Music’s Rescue The Roots campaign aims to bring about change by calling for major donations, with the charity matching every pound raised up to £1million. The funds will then be dished out to youth organisations and young creatives in need of support.

A new documentary has also been released to highlight the charity’s work, which sees Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens get a tattoo to raise awareness.

“The UK music scene is in big trouble. Grassroots music projects are places for young people to build community, hone their passions and find purpose, and yet they are closing down at a worrying rate. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of organisations like Youth Music and the grassroots music projects they fund,” he said.

“That’s why I’m proud to support the Rescue the Roots campaign, and why I’m making my support permanent with this new tattoo. Rescue the Roots isn’t just a phrase, it’s a call to arms and a plea for fundraising support – it is the most important thing we can do to safeguard the next generation of musical talent. If we don’t, there will be no new artists, no fresh sounds, no future for UK music. Please help us Rescue the Roots before it’s too late.”