Supporting the communities around us
Most of what you’ll read on this site is about events, venues and installations, because that’s the day job. But Spotlight Sound has been based in Chelmsford for a long time now, and the area we work in is also the area we live in. Our engineers drive past these places every day. Our families use them.
So each year we try to put something back, sometimes with our equipment and skills, and sometimes in much simpler ways. None of it is complicated, and none of it needs to be. As 2024 draws to a close, here’s a look at the causes we’ve been able to support this year, and a little about why each one matters.
Baby Loss Awareness Week at Broomfield Hospital
Baby Loss Awareness Week takes place every October, giving bereaved families across the country a chance to come together and remember the babies they have lost. Broomfield Hospital holds its event in the hospital gardens, an evening of remembrance for families from across the area.
We provided the lighting for the evening. It’s a very different job from lighting a stage or a venue. There’s no show to build and nothing to impress anyone with. The aim is simply to light the gardens gently and reliably so that families can gather outdoors, after dark, in a setting that feels calm and considered. It’s one of the most meaningful things we’ve been asked to do this year, and we were glad the team at Broomfield thought of us.
Phoenix Ward, Broomfield Hospital
Staying at Broomfield, we also supported Phoenix Ward, the hospital’s children’s ward. The ward keeps an Amazon wish list of the games and toys the staff know will genuinely get used, so rather than guessing, we simply worked through the list.
A hospital stay is hard enough for an adult. For a child, and for the parents sitting beside the bed, anything that passes the time and brings a bit of normality makes a real difference. The wish list approach means every item goes straight to where it’s needed, and we’d encourage any other local business looking for a straightforward way to help to take a look at it.
Phoenix Ward
The Children’s Society
The Children’s Society works with young people facing some of the toughest starts in life. With Christmas approaching, we donated Primark vouchers so that the children and young people they support could receive gifts this year.
Vouchers might not sound like much, but they mean a young person gets something chosen for them, or something they actually need, rather than whatever happens to be in a donation box. Sometimes the practical option is the right one.
CHESS
We rounded off the year with a Christmas food shop at Tesco for CHESS, the Chelmsford-based charity supporting people experiencing homelessness. CHESS does vital work in our home town all year round, providing shelter and helping people rebuild their lives, and demand doesn’t take a break over the holidays.
Filling trolleys for a good cause is about as simple as charitable giving gets, and it was a good way for the team to end the year with something hands-on.
Continuing to support our community in 2025
Thank you to everyone at these organisations, not for letting us help, but for the work they do every single week of the year. The lighting comes down, the trolleys get unpacked, and they carry on.
We’ll be looking for more ways to support local causes in 2025. If we’ve worked with you this year, thank you for trusting us with it.
Merry Christmas from all of us at Spotlight Sound.
