By Ali Bruce
April 13 2020, 11.00
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A 24-hour virtual rave by a London DJ on Facebook Live raised nearly £10,000 for the NHS.
Sam Siggers, 23, hosted the isolation-friendly DJ set from 12 noon last Saturday to 12 noon Sunday to raise money for NHS Charities Together from his family home in East Grinstead.
Mr Siggers, who lives in Southwark, joined fundraising efforts that have been swarming social media through a Facebook Live video.
Mr Siggers said: “I felt it was simply a way to return the favour to those on the frontline and, in comparison, is nothing on what they must deal with.”
The DJ, who was the resident DJ for FLY nightclub in Edinburgh and performed at Gottwood Festival 2019 and la Folie Douce Val Thorens, offered shoutouts and song requests for £10 and £20 donations.
A shaved head even jockeyed its way into the stakes after Tom Wilkinson and Sam Prince, two of Mr Siggers’s closest friends, jointly donated £300 provided the clippers come out.
He said: “Everyone was loving the head shave.
“The clippers were awful though, so it took a while.
“I hope work forgives me!”
Throughout the set he had to increase his fundraising baseline target from £2,000 to £5,000 before he let the donations pulse up to £10,513 plus Gift Aid.
The 24-hour livestream set was a first for the London DJ, who has only played seven-hour sets and never posted a live video.
Mr Siggers said: “Everyone loves music and I thought it would be a good way to get everyone involved from the comfort of their own homes.”
It wasn’t all smooth transitions for Mr Siggers though as he hit some drops along the way.
With few viewers in the early hours of the morning and little outside encouragement to finish, he found solace at the bottom of a tube of Jaffa cakes to keep him going.
He said: “6-7 was the hardest, only two viewers (you know one is your mum) and six hours left.
“Knew I couldn’t give up, just glad I didn’t pass out!”
NHS Charities Together represents NHS charities through nationwide fundraising and advocacy campaigns, as well as offering advice, guidance and training.
Donations are still open on his Virgin Money Giving page.
