The Lathums launch Chance To See charity fund to help Wigan youth

15 March 2023, 17:57 | Updated: 15 March 2023, 18:59

The Lathums 2023 press — The Lathums have launched a charity fund with Wigan council. Picture: Ewan Ogden/Press

By Jenny Mensah

The Say My Name four-piece have launched the Chance To See fund, which will help provide children and young people with creative opportunities in their hometown.

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By Jenny Mensah

The Lathums have shared he details of their new charity fund, Chance To See.

The Wigan four-piece - who are made up of frontman Alex Moore, lead guitarist Scott Concepcion, bassist Matt Murphy and drummer Ryan Durrans - have teamed up with the cultural education charity Curious Minds to help children and young people access creative opportunities in their hometown.

The fund takes its name from the lyrics to band's 2021 single, How Beautiful Life Can Be, where Moore sings: "Let the children have their chance to see/Just how beautiful life can be."

According to a press release, the funds aim is to focus on providing opportunities for young people to “perform, visit, experience and participate in brilliant arts and culture”.

The Chance To See fund was launched with an intimate gig and gift-giving event, which you can watch highlights of below:

The Lathums – Chance To See Fund

Speaking of the initiative, The Lathums said: "Some people can’t get their hands on a guitar or encounter any other form of creativity and the idea of never having that opportunity breaks our hearts. When attention has rightly been on heating and eating through the colder months, by starting this fund with Curious Minds we’d also like to take care of some of the other things that make life worth living."

On their own opportunities to escape through music, they said: "Just having an acoustic guitar when times have been tough has meant that The Lathums became possible and offered us escape from whatever was happening in our lives at the time."

Kelly Allen, executive director for social justice at Curious Minds, said: “Young people living in challenging circumstances need hope. They need inspiration, a form of expression and a way to imagine life different from how it is now. These are all things that art and culture do extremely well. We’re very proud to be working with The Lathums to improve life for the young people in Wigan who really need it.”

Donate to the Chance To See funds Just Giving page here

Last week saw their second consecutive number one album with have scored a number one with From Nothing to a Little Bit More.

The record, which follows their chart-topping debut, How Beautiful Life Can Be, pipped Slowthai's Ugly and Mimi Webb's Amelia to hit the top spot.

Taking to Instagram the band shared a post, which read: "18,000 Lathums strong and we can’t thank you all enough. With the outright dedication and power of the community that we have amassed, we have managed to clinch a consecutive No.1 album with our second body of work."

The added: "This is a statement for all to hear, that the power we hold together through love and compassion can take us anywhere, and that you can never underestimate the power of the common people."

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A post shared by The Lathums (@thelathums)

From Nothing to a Little Bit More includes lead single and Radio X Record Of The Year 2022 wiinwe, Say My Name and Struggle- which dropped in January this year.

Speaking about their blistering lead track Say May Name being voted our Radio X Record Of The Year in 2022, Alex Moore told Radio X Polly James: “I just wanna say, thank you very much to everybody. |All the fans of the band, the fans of the music. Radio X as well.”

He added, jokingly: “Everybody’s figuring out we’re the real deal”.

The band - who are completed by Scott Concepcion, Ryan Durrans and most recent addition Matty Murphy - are set to embark on a UK tour, which includes a milestone gig at Manchester's Castlefield Bowl-their biggest headline show to date.

This spring, the I Get By rockers will also play the likes of the O2 Academy Glasgow, Manchester's Albert Hall and The Roundhouse, London.