The introduction

After 7 successful years with 2 Sabbatical caused by COVID-19, We have finally reached the huge milestone of 10 years! although it feels like we were cheated out of two events.

So after 10 years of running a small event during Swanage Carnival & Regatta, we have as you can imagine grown in size year on year. this has meant that the cost of security, equipment and sound/ lighting has become understandably ever increasingly expensive, so I am now reaching out to the fans & community that make this event so special in order for me to continue to be there for another year. My name is Daniel Calvo-Westcott (Dani) and this is my crowdfunding page.

I would like to take some time out to thank everyone who supported and funded our event in our 7th year, your donations helped cover costs such as security, insurance and materials for the EHM volunteers to provide a safe environment for all. Thank you to our local co-op who supplied much-needed bottles of water for the volunteers and crowd members in need. Your generosity was greatly appreciated.

Working with the local community

Two years ago was the second year in a row that we asked the wave to work with us, and they kindly accepted! The Wave was set up by all the local churches in Swanage to support the families, children and local youth in the area.

The wave was invaluable on the night, they have a good understanding of the local young adults in the area and were on hand to offer support and a friendly face.

It is so important to include and work with the local resources we have in our town, groups such as the Wave enable us to engage with Swanage’s youth, provide a safe event and showcase the fantastic people who run the wave!

www.wavekids.org.uk

The Backstory

What started out as a small idea to give something to the young people of Swanage and its visitors during carnival week, has grown in size and popularity each summer.

For the last 10 years, I have funded and co-founded this event with the carnival committee, to make sure that everyone who comes along is safe and has an enjoyable evening. I and the EHM crew are complete volunteers, we receive no payment for, planning, organising or performing. This is no small feat as we all have regular jobs and the event takes an enormous amount of time and money to organise.

I personally work in the care industry with adults with learning disabilities, so I juggle the planning and organising as well as performing around my already full schedule. Our volunteer team is made up of chefs, firefighters, builders, mechanics, care workers, nurses and financial advisors, who all give their time to make the event a success.

I want to thank my brother Santos Calvo-Westcott who without his support, I would not be able to organise the event. I want to thank my wife Jade Cameron, who

always helps me stay on target with my ever-growing list of jobs to do, which makes the event happen. I also want to thank my parents who push me and support me in all ways possible and my close friend Alex Gousseau who has been there with me from the very beginning.

In the past, I have brought in talent from Malta (the Duo Sidekicks) in order to bring something special to the event. To make these added extras happen comes at a personal cost to me which include the artist’s travel and accommodation costs. Year on year we grow significantly in attending numbers and in the future, I hope to bring in even bigger acts for people to enjoy. However, this has meant that our services have been stretched and we have dipped further into our own pockets to maintain the standard of the event that we feel Swanage Carnival and its supporters deserved i.e. “you”.

Carnival partially finances the event but obviously, they have a budget too and as the event has grown year on year we need to source new ways of covering the cost.

all pictures by Robert Whetton

The Reviews

One thing I look forward to at the end of each event is the feedback I get from the people who attended, these are some of my favourite quotes.

The Cost

Now we come to the important part, although I’m not expecting to reach the target it would be amazing if we could. The money raised would help cover the cost of things that make the event special and safe, such as extra security among other things.

I was asked one year to provide some examples of what the money is spent on:

Cost of Security – £500 (this provides up to 6-8 Security officers) - This is extremely vital to make sure the event is enjoyed by all!

Cost of Insurance - £230.00

Cost of Transport for External Performers - £ 200

If we are ever in the fortunate position where there are surplus donations this will of course be donated back to the carnival’s chosen charities. For the past 10 years, I have financed all of these requirements and many more which make the event as impressive as possible.

EHM is run purely to bring a fantastic free event to our town, it is a non-profit event that was set up to provide a way of giving back to the town.

If you think you could bring anything to the event, from support to sponsorship we would love to hear from you!

Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support - and here’s to another fantastic EHM!

Thanks for taking the time to read,

Daniel Calvo-Westcott