The Sophie Lancaster Foundation
We will be teaming up with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. A charity committed to stamping out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere, the ideals of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and Tomorrow’s Ghosts couldn’t be any closer aligned.Tomorrow’s Ghosts is proud to continue working with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, a charity committed to challenging prejudice, hatred and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures
Sophie Lancaster was a passionate member of the alternative community who loved music, fashion and self-expression. In August 2007, Sophie and her boyfriend were brutally attacked because of their appearance and identity. Sophie died from her injuries thirteen days later, aged just 20
Following Sophie’s murder, her mother Sylvia established the Sophie Lancaster Foundation to challenge the prejudice and discrimination experienced by people simply because they choose to look or live differently
Since then, the Foundation has grown into a national charity delivering education and training, raising awareness of alternative subculture hate crime and working with schools, employers, police forces, communities and other organisations across the UK
Sylvia Lancaster
Speaking about the Foundation’s involvement with Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival, Sylvia said:
From the very beginning, the Goth community took us to their hearts and I will always be so very grateful. It was the Whitby Goths who organised a petition to recognise Sophie’s murder as a hate crime and this has underpinned everything we do as a charity. What is wonderful, is that Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival is being developed with a shared mission to stamp out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere.
Looking to the future
Today, the Foundation continues the work Sylvia began, carrying Sophie’s legacy forward while looking towards the future.
Foundation CEO Adria Wright said:
The Foundation has come a long way since Sylvia established it in Sophie’s memory, but the reason we exist remains just as important. We continue to challenge the idea that looking or living differently should make anyone a target for prejudice or hatred.
We believe that creating change starts with conversation. We don’t all have to look the same, share the same interests or understand someone else’s choices in order to treat them with dignity and respect. By talking about difference, challenging assumptions and listening to one another, we can build a society where everyone feels able to be themselves without fear of prejudice or discrimination.
We are incredibly grateful to Richard and the Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival team for their continued support and look forward to continuing to work together to keep Sophie’s legacy moving forward.
TGF Creative Director Richard Maides said:
We’re proud to continue our relationship with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, they have been a crucial part of our community since 2022. The joy of our event is that it appeals to an audience with a broad taste in music, fashion and culture. This is to be celebrated. We believe our audience is one that is tolerant of the beliefs and appearance of all others in all walks of life and whatever path they may choose to take. We, however, accept that despite our audience having tolerant and open minds, others sometimes don’t. We remain in a privileged position to work with an organisation that at its core promotes the same values we have, which is to stamp out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere.
By working closely with the Foundation and their team to promote their campaigns we believe we can collectively raise awareness about hate crime. We hope this will give our followers and others the resources to educate those around them to promote greater tolerance for all things in life.
