We are thrilled to announce that there will be a Sophie Lancaster stage at this years Bloodstock Open Air Metal festival! We couldn’t be more pleased.
The official blog reads:
We’re happy to announce that Bloodstock Open Air Festival, the Uk’s biggest Heavy Metal Festival, has renamed one of the stages in memory of Sophie and in doing so are joining forces with us to eradicate Prejudice and Intolerance.
We’ll keep you informed on developments as the line up is announced but for now heres the official press release from Bloodstock.
The Bloodstock Team are very proud to announce their 3rd Stage (previously known as the Lava Stage) will be renamed this year ‘THE SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE’
They felt this would be a fitting tribute to a young girl who was brutally attacked along with her boyfriend in 2007 while walking through her local park in Bacup, Lancashire. Sophie and her boyfriend were singled out not for anything they had said or done, but because they looked and dressed differently. Unfortunately Sophie later died in hospital following the injuries from this vicious and unprovoked attack.
Bloodstock organiser Paul Gregory said “It is our hope that renaming the stage willhelp to keep Sophie’s memory alive and raise awareness to our society that thiskind of brutal behaviour will not be tolerated”.
Sophie’s family have set up THE SOPHIE LANCASTER FOUNDATION. Through the Foundation they hope to provide training to professionals in order to raise awareness of the prejudice and violence facedby people from alternative subcultures. The foundation will develop and deliver workshops tackling the issues and challenging pre-conceptions. They will work towards offering advice and information to whoever may need it. This foundation will continue the campaigning in the same dignified manner adhered to since the attack on Sophie and her boyfriend Rob though the S.O.P.H.I.E. Campaign.
Sophie’s brother, Adam Lancaster said “What happened horrified more people then we could ever know, not just the attack but the pointlessness of it all. We thank you for your thoughts and wishes and look forward to being involved with Bloodstock in 2009.”
For more information about the bands, please head over to the S.O.P.H.I.E Myspace and show support in anyway that you can.
