Ryan rocks over £900 for flood fund

Congratulations to Ryan Atkinson, in Year 11, who has helped his local community to the tune of £910 to support the flood appeal in Arkengarthdale and Swaledale. Ryan is the extremely talented drummer in the four-piece rock band ‘Feedback’. The group was due to perform on the prestigious stage of the Ard Rock mountain bike event which attracts thousands of competitors and followers to Swaledale each August. Congratulations to Ryan Atkinson, in Year 11, who has helped his local community to the tune of £910 to support the flood appeal in Arkengarthdale and Swaledale. Ryan is the extremely talented drummer in the four-piece rock band ‘Feedback’. The group was due to perform on the prestigious stage of the Ard Rock mountain bike event which attracts thousands of competitors and followers to Swaledale each August. Following the flash floods which devastated much of Arkengarthdale and lower Swaledale at the end of July, the Ard Rock festival was cancelled. The recovery effort is still underway with homes and businesses continue to suffer in the aftermath of all the damage caused to properties, bridges, roads and walls. Ryan and his friends wanted to support the community and what better way than do a gig and donate the proceeds to the flood appeal. Ryan worked alongside his Dad, Trevor, to make all the arrangements for the concert and enrolled two other friends, Katie and Lewis to be part of the line-up. Ryan and fellow group members, Harriet, Oliver and Kirsty, attend the Hub in Barnard Castle who provided technical support for the event. The venue, Reeth Memorial Hall, kindly waived the booking fee and a number of businesses and individuals sponsored the concert and donated raffle prizes. The playlist including songs from legendary bands such as ACDC, Arctic Monkeys, Blur and Judas Priest and Feedback performed every one with great enthusiasm. Reeth Memorial rocked like never before! Ryan put his heart and soul into every song and impressed the audience with his ability and passion. This may have been Feedback’s first gig but it certainly won’t be their last, this is a band to watch! Ryan said:”The floods have had a devastating impact on the area and many of my friends and family have been affected. It has been a massive blow to the community and local businesses with so much income lost over the summer. We were delighted to perform to a sell-out and most-appreciative audience and hope the money raised will provide some much-needed support.” The proceeds from the concert have been donated to the Two Ridings Community Foundation which is making financial awards to households and small businesses affected by the floods. Ryan’s Dad, Trevor, commented: “We started planning the gig as purely a fundraiser but as things progressed we decided it could be more than that. We kept ticket prices low to encourage young people to attend the event and experience live music. Hopefully some of them will be inspired to pick up an instrument and give it a try. I am super proud of all the youngsters that took part, their technical ability shone through in every track. Many thanks to all involved.”