From bake sales to breakdancing, cycling to scaling skyscrapers, there are so many unique ways to fundraise for Shelter. Take DJs Doug, Tom, Charlotte and Jamie, who decided the best way to support us was to put on a night of awesome retro tunes.
The group of friends came up with club night Maneater – 00s Trash Club, a celebration of the turn of the millennium featuring classics like Overload by the Sugababes, the freakily-good Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz, and the always iconic Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon.
‘We’ve all been to – and DJed at – a number of 80s and 90s nights, but we felt the 00s hadn’t been properly celebrated yet,’ said organiser Tom Bishop, aka Tom of Swindon. ‘Plus, we wanted to freak ourselves out with the realisation that Can’t Get You Out Of My Head came out 18 years ago!’
Tom and Charlotte are experienced DJs. ‘I’ve been DJing as Tom of Swindon since 1999 at venues like the Eagle and RVT in Vauxhall,’ Tom said. Charlotte’s been DJing as Pencil Skirt at queer indie night Pink Glove since 2015, but Doug and Jamie are new to the medium. ‘Radio Rintoul (that’s Doug) and Lazy Susan (Jamie) got behind the wheels of steel specifically for this event,’ Tom tells us.
On Saturday 30 March, Maneater took over The Tiger in Hackney, and aside from a night of 00s revelry, helped raise money for Doug, who’s running the London Marathon for Shelter later this month.
‘I’m pretty miffed by the massive rise in homelessness,’ Doug said. ‘More than 300,000 people in our country – equivalent to one in every 200 – are officially recorded as homeless or living in poor housing. Tackling the London Marathon felt like the best way to help raise a significant sum for Shelter.’
Tom adds: ‘Doug saw the increasing scale of homelessness in London and wanted to do something about it.’
‘The training and the run’s going to be tough as I ain’t no spring chicken,’ Doug said, but adds: ‘It’s all for an incredible cause.’
If you’re motivated to make like Doug and support our work, there are so many opportunities to run for Shelter. And if running over 26 miles isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other ways you can help end homelessness and bad housing. Just like Doug, Tom, Charlotte and Jamie, why not do your own thing and make a big difference to people’s lives while you’re at it?
