Music, meals & meaningful matches: how local support hits the right note

Another successful “charity need” match

When the Islington Festival of Music and Art shared a simple request for help via the A Good Thing ‘charity need’ feature (refreshments for the event’s hard-working musicians), Marlborough Highways, a Chelmsford-based civil engineering company, responded with generosity.

Thanks to a connection made via the A Good Thing platform, the charity’s need was quickly met with a financial donation, ensuring musicians were well-fed and cared for on concert day.

The Islington Festival of Music and Art

The Islington Festival is a vibrant, independent event that brings live music and art to venues throughout the Borough of Islington in north London. Beginning as a series of intimate garden concerts during the 2020 lockdown, the event has since evolved into a summer celebration of creativity and community.

The Festival relies on donations and sponsorships to keep ticket prices affordable for everyone, as its organisers attempt to recreate the community spirit that flourished in many places during the days of lockdown:

“Our festival brings the Islington community together, it's a chance for people to experience inspiring moments and make long-lasting memories.”

Meeting a real need: food for musicians

Musicians play a central role in the Festival’s success, and the team wanted to ensure they were looked after. Joana Ly of the Islington Festival explained “having some food available during their breaks is very important to us.”

Marlborough Highways saw this charity need and took action: its contribution covered snacks and refreshments, allowing musicians to stay energised and focused on delivering inspiring performances.

The team at the Islington Festival expressed their thanks:

“We are very grateful to Marlborough for sponsoring musicians’ snacks on concert day so that everyone can just focus on the music! Also very grateful to A Good Thing for matching us with this lovely organisation.”

By responding to a real, practical need, Marlborough Highways helped support not just the festival, but the spirit of community, creativity and connection it stands for. And in a really lovely twist, Anna Wilson (Social Value Administrator at Marlborough) was able to attend the Festival. She told us:

“Myself and my colleague Nula were blown away, I especially enjoyed Copland’s ‘Appalachian Spring’ and your colleague’s introduction that gave context to the piece.”