A Sheffield drummer completed a four-hour-long African ‘drumathon’ charity fundraiser this weekend, raising over £1000 for a Yorkshire-based drugs and alcohol support service.
Steve Rivers, founder of Unbeatable Energy, an African drumming workshop business, raised just under £1100 for Project 6, a charity which provide recovery and support services for people affected by alcohol and drugs.
He continuously drummed on the traditional West African djembe for four hours between 1pm and 5pm at Sharrow Community Forum on Saturday 28th February.
Steve performed alongside Manchester-based performance group Tanante, members of the local community who dropped into the four hour drumathon and turned their hand to West African style drumming to join in Steve’s rhythms.
The idea for African Drumathon formed when Steve decided he wanted to take himself out of his drumming comfort zone and organise a charity event which would challenge him to play the same rhythm repeatedly for the same duration a non-elite runner completes a marathon.
Project 6 is a cause close to Steve’s heart. During his twenties, Steve experienced his own struggles with alcohol and drug use and is now 26 years clean and sober. He said: ” I wish I could do my twenties again.
“Addiction is a hidden thing, it’s like a lift, you can get off at any floor. Drumming smashes sense of isolation and you get to feel included in a community. People attending the event can take away information about Project 6 and I can help raise the profile of the charity.
Drumathon has become bigger than me and I am really excited.”
Steve first began African drumming at 25 years old and turned his passion into his career when he founded Unbeatable Energy which delivers African drumming workshops for schools, businesses as well as running community evening classes.
You can listen to a track of African drumming from the drumathon below:
He has travelled to Africa several times, making multiple trips including to the Ivory Coast, Gambia and Senegal to immerse himself in African culture and improve his drumming technique.
Jamie Riley, band leader of Tanante, said he had done nothing like the African Drumathon before. He said at the end of the challenge: “I am exhausted, my hands and shoulders hurt but I am exhilarated by what we have managed to accomplish.”
Manja Wolfram, Sheffield Head of Recovery at Project 6, said: “We are very thankful to Steve and Unbeatable Energy for his efforts in not only raising money but also awareness to Project 6 and our work around addiction recovery.
We have collaborated with Unbeatable Energy a number of times and know how effective the drumming is when working with community groups – we always get so much connection as well as fun from it, elements that can be a crucial discovery for people in early recovery.
We hope the event engages many people from the wider community and hence helps to reduce the stigma around addiction.”
To support Steve’s fundraiser, you can donate via his Just Giving page below: Steve Rivers is fundraising for Project 6 (Airedale Voluntary Drug and Alcohol Agency)
