From Bute To BIMM
Donation protected
Hi everyone,
My name is Beth. It’s always been my dream to study at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) and I desperately need your help to be able to study there. Thank you for taking the time to look at my crowd funding page.
This is my story.
I grew up in Cumbernauld, Scotland, a ‘New Town’ built around the 1950s that is situated about 20 minutes from Glasgow. As all families do, we were faced with many obstacles, but we were hit with the unimaginable.
When I was only two years, nine months old, I disclosed to my Mum that my father had been sexually abusing me. Although extremely lucky to have had a Mum who believed me and who then spent the following four years in court fighting for his parental rights to be removed, this obviously had a profound impact on both myself and my family. From there my family fought endlessly to take away his parental rights and to keep me safe, often facing verbal abuse and threats from those who couldn’t imagine their friend or family member ever doing such a thing to anyone, never mind one so young and his own daughter. Whilst my Mum and those around me continued to fight for my safety, my Mum looked for ways in which she could ensure I received help for the trauma I endured. She came across a charity called The Moira Anderson Foundation and they have now become like extended family. Through many years of therapy, I now count myself extremely lucky to be in a position where I am able to cope with my past. Although the trauma of the past will never truly leave me and will always be something that lingers in the back of my mind, through music and performing, I am able to find a sense of peace and escapism, as well as enabling me the platform to raise awareness of the charity and urge other survivors to seek help.
In 2010 when I was only nine, there was an unexpected light. My Mum met a man to whom she soon became engaged to and married. As you can imagine, I was… ecstatic, and it wasn’t long before he then decided to adopt me. I was finally going to have a permanent Father figure, someone who would be there to lift me up when I fell and support me through thick and thin. I was finally going to have that ‘normal’ family I had forever dreamed of. Everything was perfect. His job allowed us to travel to exotic places all over the world and see sights I could only ever have dreamed of, and we no longer had the constant worry of how we would pay the bills. It was because of their marriage that we moved to the Isle of Bute. Prior to living here I hated school, crying every single day and never really fitting in. But here on Bute, I blossomed. I ended up being the definition of a teacher’s pet… and I loved it! The atmosphere and sense of safety on the island was freeing and my ability to take part in activities such as sailing and walks in nature again further acted as a way of escapism from the dark cloud of the past that forever loomed over my head. I have loved music ever since I can remember, my Mum actually has a video of me singing my own original song when I was three years old about how much I love a snowman my sister and I had built in the backyard. Prior to moving to Bute, I had performed in a small show put on by a local drama group when I was around eight years old. My Mum had looked into the possibility of getting me singing lessons, but unfortunately we were unable to fund it. That was until my adoptive father came along. My lessons became my favourite part of every weekend. The connection I felt between myself and the music is indescribable, and I soon began performing as often as possible. The feeling of connection between myself and an audience again was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and the stage became my home.
Everything was perfect on the surface, but their marriage soon became an unhappy one, my father having severe anger issues. Soon whenever he returned home from his months away working, the house would erupt with arguments and negativity. The atmosphere was horrendous, and it all came crumbling down on the night of the 23rd December 2012. We were going to see 'White Christmas' at the local cinema with my brother and his now wife to get us all into the Christmas spirit. Just before leaving, a massive row broke out with my father nearing becoming violent. He didn’t come with us to the cinema and the four of us just tried to make the best out of a bad situation. When we returned, the house was silent. When I awoke the following day, I was informed that he was gone. He had taken the car, his things and left the day before our second Christmas together as a family… all without even saying goodbye.
My Mum later reluctantly gave him a second chance. The atmosphere in the house remained heavy and again, after only a few months, he left the house in a near violent fight before I left for school. When I returned home, he was gone, and I have never seen him again.
I know that this is a huge sum of money to raise, but I hope that you may be prepared to invest in me so that I can make my dreams in music a reality, and prove that no matter where you come from or the challenges you face, they do not define you and cannot limit your ability to be successful. Throughout my life, as you have read, I have struggled against many a challenge and have never allowed anything to stand between me and my dreams. However, my adoptive father has now stopped paying his legally required maintenance money which I was massively relying on in funding living in London and studying at BIMM.
I have always known that London is where I'm destined to be and have dreamed of studying at BIMM for years. I never thought it would be possible and gaining a place on the BA Professional Musicianship (Vocals) course was a dream come true. Attending BIMM will be an incredible opportunity for me to fully immerse myself in the center of the London music scene and in gaining both more frequent performance opportunities and more connections within the music industry, all whilst honing my abilities as a vocalist, performer and singer-songwriter. To think that all of this and something that is now so close in reach could be nearing out of my grasp is absolutely heart wrenching.
As mentioned previously, I do whatever I can to give back to the wider community. For example, at 15 years old, I organized a charity night for the Moira Anderson Foundation which raised £2,200 for the charity. I also organised a series of charity busks for both the Moira Anderson Foundation and local charity Calums Cabin, that raised £1,200, the money of which went towards funding the immeasurable work by the Moira Anderson Foundation and one families holiday retreat to Calums Cabin to enable a child with cancer to enjoy time away from the stresses of mainland life together as a family. I released my own original song 'Soar' as a charity single for the Moira Anderson Foundation, costing £1 each, that has raised over £450 for the charity so far.
During my years performing I have raised substantial funds for many different charities, both local and afar, but now I am asking for you to help me. Through putting on my own charity events and participating in many, I have been incredibly moved by your generosity. I hate to be asking for so much money but this is my chance to prove that through hard work, determination, a dash of luck, and the kindness of others, you can be whoever you want to be and achieve your dreams, no matter the limits placed upon you by your circumstances or the people around you.
Thank you for all of your support, kindness, generosity and love. It means far more than you will ever know.
Beth Swan
My name is Beth. It’s always been my dream to study at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) and I desperately need your help to be able to study there. Thank you for taking the time to look at my crowd funding page.
This is my story.
I grew up in Cumbernauld, Scotland, a ‘New Town’ built around the 1950s that is situated about 20 minutes from Glasgow. As all families do, we were faced with many obstacles, but we were hit with the unimaginable.
When I was only two years, nine months old, I disclosed to my Mum that my father had been sexually abusing me. Although extremely lucky to have had a Mum who believed me and who then spent the following four years in court fighting for his parental rights to be removed, this obviously had a profound impact on both myself and my family. From there my family fought endlessly to take away his parental rights and to keep me safe, often facing verbal abuse and threats from those who couldn’t imagine their friend or family member ever doing such a thing to anyone, never mind one so young and his own daughter. Whilst my Mum and those around me continued to fight for my safety, my Mum looked for ways in which she could ensure I received help for the trauma I endured. She came across a charity called The Moira Anderson Foundation and they have now become like extended family. Through many years of therapy, I now count myself extremely lucky to be in a position where I am able to cope with my past. Although the trauma of the past will never truly leave me and will always be something that lingers in the back of my mind, through music and performing, I am able to find a sense of peace and escapism, as well as enabling me the platform to raise awareness of the charity and urge other survivors to seek help.
In 2010 when I was only nine, there was an unexpected light. My Mum met a man to whom she soon became engaged to and married. As you can imagine, I was… ecstatic, and it wasn’t long before he then decided to adopt me. I was finally going to have a permanent Father figure, someone who would be there to lift me up when I fell and support me through thick and thin. I was finally going to have that ‘normal’ family I had forever dreamed of. Everything was perfect. His job allowed us to travel to exotic places all over the world and see sights I could only ever have dreamed of, and we no longer had the constant worry of how we would pay the bills. It was because of their marriage that we moved to the Isle of Bute. Prior to living here I hated school, crying every single day and never really fitting in. But here on Bute, I blossomed. I ended up being the definition of a teacher’s pet… and I loved it! The atmosphere and sense of safety on the island was freeing and my ability to take part in activities such as sailing and walks in nature again further acted as a way of escapism from the dark cloud of the past that forever loomed over my head. I have loved music ever since I can remember, my Mum actually has a video of me singing my own original song when I was three years old about how much I love a snowman my sister and I had built in the backyard. Prior to moving to Bute, I had performed in a small show put on by a local drama group when I was around eight years old. My Mum had looked into the possibility of getting me singing lessons, but unfortunately we were unable to fund it. That was until my adoptive father came along. My lessons became my favourite part of every weekend. The connection I felt between myself and the music is indescribable, and I soon began performing as often as possible. The feeling of connection between myself and an audience again was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and the stage became my home.
Everything was perfect on the surface, but their marriage soon became an unhappy one, my father having severe anger issues. Soon whenever he returned home from his months away working, the house would erupt with arguments and negativity. The atmosphere was horrendous, and it all came crumbling down on the night of the 23rd December 2012. We were going to see 'White Christmas' at the local cinema with my brother and his now wife to get us all into the Christmas spirit. Just before leaving, a massive row broke out with my father nearing becoming violent. He didn’t come with us to the cinema and the four of us just tried to make the best out of a bad situation. When we returned, the house was silent. When I awoke the following day, I was informed that he was gone. He had taken the car, his things and left the day before our second Christmas together as a family… all without even saying goodbye.
My Mum later reluctantly gave him a second chance. The atmosphere in the house remained heavy and again, after only a few months, he left the house in a near violent fight before I left for school. When I returned home, he was gone, and I have never seen him again.
I know that this is a huge sum of money to raise, but I hope that you may be prepared to invest in me so that I can make my dreams in music a reality, and prove that no matter where you come from or the challenges you face, they do not define you and cannot limit your ability to be successful. Throughout my life, as you have read, I have struggled against many a challenge and have never allowed anything to stand between me and my dreams. However, my adoptive father has now stopped paying his legally required maintenance money which I was massively relying on in funding living in London and studying at BIMM.
I have always known that London is where I'm destined to be and have dreamed of studying at BIMM for years. I never thought it would be possible and gaining a place on the BA Professional Musicianship (Vocals) course was a dream come true. Attending BIMM will be an incredible opportunity for me to fully immerse myself in the center of the London music scene and in gaining both more frequent performance opportunities and more connections within the music industry, all whilst honing my abilities as a vocalist, performer and singer-songwriter. To think that all of this and something that is now so close in reach could be nearing out of my grasp is absolutely heart wrenching.
As mentioned previously, I do whatever I can to give back to the wider community. For example, at 15 years old, I organized a charity night for the Moira Anderson Foundation which raised £2,200 for the charity. I also organised a series of charity busks for both the Moira Anderson Foundation and local charity Calums Cabin, that raised £1,200, the money of which went towards funding the immeasurable work by the Moira Anderson Foundation and one families holiday retreat to Calums Cabin to enable a child with cancer to enjoy time away from the stresses of mainland life together as a family. I released my own original song 'Soar' as a charity single for the Moira Anderson Foundation, costing £1 each, that has raised over £450 for the charity so far.
During my years performing I have raised substantial funds for many different charities, both local and afar, but now I am asking for you to help me. Through putting on my own charity events and participating in many, I have been incredibly moved by your generosity. I hate to be asking for so much money but this is my chance to prove that through hard work, determination, a dash of luck, and the kindness of others, you can be whoever you want to be and achieve your dreams, no matter the limits placed upon you by your circumstances or the people around you.
Thank you for all of your support, kindness, generosity and love. It means far more than you will ever know.
Beth Swan
Organizer
Beth Swan
Organizer