Chelmsford City Live Announces Charity Partners to Benefit From Festival in 2025

Three charities from Essex have been selected to be official partners of the county’s newest festival Chelmsford City Live – which opens just one month from today on Friday July 4.

Chelmsford City Live runs for three nights from Friday July 4 to Sunday July 6 at Chelmsford City Racecourse with headline performances from Justin Timberlake, Duran Duran and Olly Murs.

Each night will see a local charity given the opportunity to have a team of fundraisers on site collecting monetary donations and for 2025 Chelmsford City Live will support Chelmsford and Essex-based charities who make a big impact in the communities they serve.

The charities selected and the nights they will partner are:

• Helen Rollason Cancer Charity – Justin Timberlake, Friday July 4
• Sanctus – Duran Duran, Saturday July 5
• St Helena Hospice – Olly Murs, Sunday July 6

The charities were chosen following an application process and those that have been selected will be given the opportunity to have a team of fundraisers on site at Chelmsford City Live.

Chelmsford City Live is a partnership between Chelmsford City Racecourse and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor.

Cuffe and Taylor promoter Ben Hatton said: “We are delighted to be able to give these brilliant charities the opportunity to raise vital funds, as well as increasing awareness of their incredible work to thousands of live music fans across the weekend. If you’re joining the celebrations, please do look out for their teams and dig deep to support them!”

Head of Events at Chelmsford City Racecourse, Anthony Coleridge added: “It is fantastic to have these three local charities on board for the very first Chelmsford City Live festival – and we hope to build lasting relationships with local causes as we put Chelmsford City Live on the map as Essex’s largest music festival.”

Helen Rollason Cancer Charity supports those living with cancer and their families within Essex, enabling quality of life while living with cancer, at all stages of a client’s journey – whether newly diagnosed or longer-term, throughout treatment and after treatment is completed. The legacy of BBC broadcaster Helen Rollason, her words “everyone deserves good quality care whilst dealing with a cancer diagnosis”, remain at the heart of what they do.

Sanctus has been feeding, supporting and providing resources for the homeless and vulnerable community of Chelmsford and surrounding areas for more than 13 years. Sanctus provides a safe space for those who find themselves on the periphery of society whether through homelessness, food and financial poverty, addiction or anyone who needs help to improve their situation.

Established in 1985, St Helena Hospice has provided 40 years of specialist end of life care and support for people living in north east Essex who face incurable illness and bereavement. The emphasis for this charity is about quality of life and services include the hospice, Hospice in the Home, bereavement support, and SinglePoint 24/7 advice line and rapid response.

The charities selected to be part of the 2025 festival are delighted.

Hazel Keane, chief executive of Helen Rollason Cancer Charity, said: “As a local charity working in Essex being selected as a partner for Chelmsford City Live highlights what we do within the community. With one in two of us being diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime the need for our services is greater than ever.”

Emma Hughes, chief executive of Sanctus, said: “Being selected as a partner is an absolute privilege. It provides us with a wonderful opportunity to both up-scale the profile of Sanctus and raise some vital funds to enable us to continue our work with the homeless and vulnerable community.”

James Martin-Whymark, community fundraiser at St Helena Hospice, said: “We are facing financial challenges like never before and we need the support from our community more than ever, so we are delighted to have been selected as a charity partner. This year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of St Helena Hospice and it’s not just about looking back, it’s about securing our future so we can be there for people in our community who need hospice care and bereavement support.”

For more information about Chelmsford City Live, visit chelmsfordcitylive.com