The Bloodstock Team are very proud to announce their 3rd Stage (previously known as the Lava Stage) will be renamed this year ‘The Sophie Lancaster Stage’.
They felt this would be a fitting tribute to a young girl who was brutally attacked along with her boyfriend in 2007 while walking through her local park in Bacup, Lancashire. Sophie and her boyfriend were singled out not for anything they had said or done, but because they looked and dressed differently. Unfortunately Sophie later died in hospital following the injuries from this vicious and unprovoked attack.
Bloodstock organiser Paul Gregory said “It is our hope that renaming the stage will help to keep Sophie’s memory alive and raise awareness to our society that this kind of brutal behaviour will not be toleratedâ€.
Sophie’s family have set up THE SOPHIE LANCASTER FOUNDATION. Through the Foundation they hope to provide training to professionals in order to raise awareness of the prejudice and violence faced by people from alternative subcultures. The foundation will develop and deliver workshops tackling the issues and challenging pre-conceptions. They will work towards offering advice and information to whoever may need it. This foundation will continue the campaigning in the same dignified manner adhered to since the attack on Sophie and her boyfriend Rob though the S.O.P.H.I.E. Campaign.
Sophie's brother, Adam Lancaster said “What happened horrified more people then we could ever know, not just the attack but the pointlessness of it all. We thank you for your thoughts and wishes and look forward to being involved with Bloodstock in 2009."
Two acts that will perform on the stage include female fronted Goth / Metal band ‘Pythia’ who were brought together by a love of gothic literature and Metal. PYTHIA are a group of classical and metal inspired musicians who believe that music is a lifestyle that should be lived only by the brave and true of heart. Bloodstock also welcome back crowd favourites ‘BEHOLDER’, who on their latest release ‘Unleash The Hell’, have written and recorded a track dedicated to the memory of Sophie entitled – ‘You’ll Never Take Us Down’. With BEHOLDER’S wild antics, powerful material and their strong support of the Sophie Campaign, it promises to be a fitting tribute.
BEHOLDER – www.myspace.com/beholdernews
PYTHIA - www.myspace.com/pythiamusic
If you wish to make a donation to THE SOPHIE LANCASTER FOUNDATION you can find out how to do this by visiting www.myspace.com/inmemoryofsophie
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Regards
Bloodstock Team
