Thanks for the response Lizzie. My kids thankfully grew up in areas of minimal or zero bullying, but I am sorry for what yours have been through. It sounds like you did the right thing to educate them at home, anyway.

Back to fundraising: Several of the Mudcatters are gigging artists. I, for one, would be willing to take part in a fundraising event, just for half of the petrol money and somewhere flat and dry to put my sleeping bag for the night. I am sure others would, too. And most of us would put the petrol money back into the pot anyway.

So, let someone (local) organise such fundraising events/concerts/series of concerts, featuring Mudcatter artists. Call them "Mudcat 4 Sidmouth" or something.

Other festivals have done this sort of thing in the past and are doing it this year again. The trick is to organise these events locally (to the festival), otherwise one can be liable to accusations of asking other parts of the UK to subsidise Sidmouth Town.

Pass it on.