War Child UK was launched in 1995 and kicked off with the ‘Help’ album to raise funds for children affected by Bosnian War. Since then the charity has been working with the music industry for the last 25 years in the UK, Holland and Canada. Their main mission is to support young people affected by armed conflict: “In the UK, War Child’s work has motivated artists to record unique music and perform unforgettable shows. These albums, events and the vocal support of musicians have raised money and awareness that allows War Child to bring vital support to children suffering the brutal effects of war”.
The Charity has announced the launch of a new independent record label, War Child Records. The War Child and Virgin Music Label collaboration will focus on changing children lives with the power of music. The Virgin Label & Artist Services, Vanessa Higgins commented: “We are delighted to be the label services partner for War Child Records. It’s a brilliant project and we look forward to supporting the label in their mission to use recorded music to help ensure that no child’s life is torn apart by war.”
Rich Clarke from War Child Records added: “It’s incredibly exciting to be leading the launch of War Child Records. There is an amazing heritage of putting out cool and credible music to make a difference. The mantra has always been, ‘If you wouldn’t release if it wasn’t a charity record, don’t release it’, and that’s something I plan to stick to. I can’t wait to make the catalogue available again to this generation of music fans, and start working with the next generation of artists who can use their platform to change the lives of children affected by conflict. There are some really exciting projects in the pipeline so watch this space”
The charity live shows have raised over £5 million since 2009 only with with their Brits Week series of £5 donations for the tickets and with the support of the media. Their Safe and Sound celebrations featuring new and alternative artists “raise awareness for the importance of mental health for young people”. Some of the biggest artists played for War Child great causes: Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Muse, Florence + the Machine to name a few. Chis Martin called them: ”One of the world’s most important charities”
Album ‘Help’ has been reissued in 2020 and made available on all the streaming services for the first time to celebrate its 25th anniversary. To find out more about War Child and the history of the ‘Help’ album, check Spotify podcast here. By buying and downloading a copy of the album today, we can all help children living in war zone additionally affected by Covid-19.
