Edinburgh Music Lovers needs your help!
With new plans and projects brewing, EML is looking for extra volunteers to help with its mission – founder Jim Byers explains why
Hello fellow music lovers in Edinburgh.
EML is on a mission to support Edinburgh’s music fans, music community and the city’s reputation as a thriving, respected music city. One of our goals is to show how music can have a positive role in the city and on people’s mental health.
I need your help to make this happen.
With some exciting plans and projects in the pipeline, I’m looking for some extra helping hands so that EML can make as much impact as possible.
But first a quick re-cap on what EML is all about…
EML is a passion project driven by purpose over profit. It exists to help others – Edinburgh’s often overlooked music lovers, artists and music community. And to show how music can help those struggling with mental health.
I work on it in my spare time around my day job and family life because I love music and I love Edinburgh. And because I know through personal experience how much music can improve mental health and wellbeing.
It’s certainly not about making money as my bank manager will tell you. Which is why I’m looking at EML becoming a Community Interest Company (CIC) soon – more news on that to come.
My own experiences volunteering for the wonderful Hidden Door Festival partly sparked the idea of EML into life. The idea had been brewing in mind for a while, but my experiences with Hidden Door and seeing how a team of volunteers with so much passion and energy could create something so special and make a difference in the city really moved me.
EML is built on the idea of connecting music lovers across the city and building a community. Some lovely humans from our growing community already kindly volunteer and support EML.
Like photographer James Duncan who has kindly documented EML’s events and experiences since day one. His amazing photographs have helped hugely in showing what EML is all about.
And designer Tyrone Stoddart a music-loving creative and all round good human being who kindly works on EML bits and bobs in his spare time when he’s not creating shit-hot work for clients.
And Nathan Fulwood, who heads up a high-flying creative agency doing work for the likes of adidas, and in his spare time is a wonderful wingman and mentor.
As EML evolves, I’m looking for some more volunteers to help make EML as useful and effective as possible. That includes creating more interesting content and exceptional events for Edinburgh’s music lovers and doing more to showcase the music community in Edinburgh.
At this stage, I’m specifically looking for volunteers who can help with the following:
Website development (we’re currently on Squarespace)
Writing, research and social media
Project management
However the door is open to offers of volunteers in other areas if anyone has specific expertise they want to share and think will be useful.
In return, I know from my own experience that you’ll get a creative outlet to channel your love of music, a sense of pride and a warm fuzzy feeling from helping make a difference. There’ll also be invites to special EML events when they return and other gifts and goodies.
For anyone who’s interested, I can also offer in exchange for your help, my 20 years-plus experience in journalism, content creation, communications and marketing & PR if you need help in any of those areas.
I’m conscious people have a lot of their minds and there are bigger issues than music in Edinburgh at stake just now. But if you would fancy volunteering and have a passion for music and like what EML is all about, I’d love to hear from you.
If you’d like to volunteer or find out more, email Jim@edinburghmusiclovers.com