Posted on 21 March 2011
Radio 1 DJ Gilles Peterson is running the London Marathon this April to raise money for the Musicians Benevolent Fund on behalf of the Steve Reid Foundation.
The Steve Reid Foundation has been set up by Gilles Peterson in memory of the drummer Steve Reid (pictured right), who died in 2010. The aims of the foundation are to fundraise on behalf of struggling musicians in need of help and support.
Steve Reid was an amazing drummer with a long and illustrious history that stretched from working with James Brown, Miles Davis and Fela Kuti, through to his own Steve Reid Trio and more recently working with Kieran Hebden (Four Tet). He died from throat cancer in the US in April 2010 without the money for treatment that could have saved his life.
As Gilles says: “This is something that is very close to me and that I feel strongly about, and wanted to set up something as a lasting legacy to help others in similar situations. To this end, I am running the London Marathon on April 17th on behalf of the Steve Reid Foundation.”
The Steve Reid Foundation is applying for charitable status and in the meantime will work closely with the Musicians Benevolent Fund to aid the plight of struggling musicians, especially those with long-term and life-threatening health problems. A career as a musician may sometimes seem glamorous but more often it is a struggle and health-related issues can often be the final straw.
A variety of other fundraising activities are planned, but in the meantime all the monies raised by Gilles running in the marathon will go directly to the Musicians Benevolent Fund.
Support Gilles by donating to his JustGiving page