Gone in the Air: An open letter
Here at AMP we’re concerned about the significant barriers that rural young people face in accessing music and arts opportunities. Our recent report, Gone in the Air, reveals troubling issues like inadequate funding, limited transport options, and poor digital access—factors that have left only 10% of surveyed rural youth ever able to attend a concert.
We have published an open letter to government leaders, telling them about what we’ve found. We’re urging the government to take action by increasing rural cultural funding, rethinking funding formulas to address higher rural delivery costs, and investing in better transport solutions to ensure all young people can benefit from the transformative power of music.
Gone in the Air was written by our much-missed colleague Helen Mahoney. We’re so grateful to Helen for her incredible work on this vital issue.
We invite you to support this effort by signing the letter and joining the movement for equitable access to music for young people across rural England. Thanks for your support!
Read the full letter and add your signature here.
You can see the updated list of everyone who has already signed below:
Sarah McWatt, Director, AMP
Chloe Asquith, Live Events Retail Manager / Student and AMP Trustee
Jo Asquith, Partner, Frankie and Johnny’s Bookshop
Sarah Baumann, Chief Operating Officer, Brass Bands England
Sarah Beckett, Software Developer and AMP Trustee
Rachel Clarke, Clinical Psychologist
Lydia Buckle, Early Years Music Practitioner
Sally-Anne Brown, Director, Note Weavers CIC
Rachel Elliott, Education Director, English Folk Dance and Song Society
Rebecca Denniff, Artistic Director, Flash Company Arts and AMP Trustee
Hannah Davies, Executive Producer, ARCADE
Sarah Derbyshire MBE, Chief Executive, Orchestras Live
Rach Drew & Sophie Drury-Bradey, Co-Artistic Directors & CEOs
Caroline Firman, Teacher, St Richard Reynolds
Jonathan Gregory, Senior Accounting Technician and AMP Trustee
Ann Green, Chair, York Music Hub and Chairman, York Guildhall Orchestra
Karen Irwin, Strategic Director – Music in Education and Interim Director – Northern Ireland, Live Music Now
David Jackson, Opera Chorus Director, Festival Director and Churchill Fellow, Opéra de Tours and International Opera Festival of Belle Île en Mer
Heidi Johnson, Development Manager, Yorkshire Sound Women Network
Grace Knill, Creative & Wellbeing Projects Manager, Pioneer Projects
Mandy Langel, Teacher
Ben Lee, Journalist and AMP Trustee
Ralph Lister, Executive Director, Take Art
Hayley Mason, Deputy Director (Education), Jessie’s Fund
Bex Mather, Forge Network Manager, North Yorkshire Cultural Education Partnership
James McPherson, Student and AMP Trustee
Sarah Nerval, Freelance Musician and Teacher
Tom Northey, Trustee, OmniMusic CIO
Tessa Norton, Writer, Artist and Arts Marketing Consultant, West Yorkshire
Callie O’Brien, Freelance Theatre & Events Technician and AMP Trustee
Emily Penn, Cultural Consultant, North Yorkshire
Louise Poole, Student
Ian Read, CEO, Rural Arts
Abby Seton, Networks Manager and Administrator, AMP
Donna Smith, Retired Nurse, NHS
Teah Lewis, Programme Manager, AMP
Robin Jackson, Director of Ryedale Creative
Ted Westwood, Cultural Venues Manager, North Yorkshire Council
Joanne Yau, Partnerships Manager, York Music Hub
Simon Whiteley, Professional Musician, The Queen’s Six
Emma Whiting, Senior HR Business Partner, Fidelity International