Croydon Music Charity Club Soda Awarded £297,000 Lottery Funding to Support Disabled Artists
By Charities Correspondent
A Croydon-based music charity supporting autistic and learning-disabled musicians and DJs has secured almost £300,000 in National Lottery funding to expand its work over the next four years.
Club Soda has been awarded £297,322 from the The National Lottery Community Fund to help grow its “Change the Scene” programme, which focuses on improving opportunities and visibility for learning-disabled artists in music and live events.
The funding will support hundreds of people each year through workshops, performances, club nights and creative projects across Croydon and beyond.
Club Soda, founded in 2009, has built a reputation for helping break down barriers in the music industry for autistic and learning-disabled performers.
The organisation regularly works with festivals and venues including Mighty Hoopla and hosts events such as Soda Beat and Soda Crew nights in South London.
The new funding will also help expand national touring opportunities for Club Soda artists, with performances planned across the UK over the next two years, including shows in Brighton, Hull and Bexhill.
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Projects supported by the funding include Soda Mag, the charity’s quarterly magazine highlighting disabled artists and accessible events, alongside recording sessions and mentoring schemes for emerging musicians.
Olly Tipper, Director of Club Soda, said:
“This funding is a big step forward for Club Soda. It allows us to build on what we know works - creating spaces where people can connect, be creative and be visible.
“Over the next four years, we’ll be supporting more learning-disabled people to take part in cultural life, not just as audiences, but as artists and leaders shaping what happens.”
The charity says the programme will also work with venues and festivals to improve accessibility across the wider cultural sector through training and partnerships.
Upcoming appearances from Club Soda DJs and performers include Mighty Hoopla this weekend, alongside a series of live shows and takeovers planned throughout the summer.
Click here to see more about upcoming performances.
