Burnley band Badhands organised a memorial gig and collaborative t-shirt campaign in August 2024 that raised over one thousand pounds for Casual Minds Matter. The event, held at The Inn on the Wharf on 17 August, was staged in memory of David Hankinson, bringing together musicians and the wider Burnley community in support of local mental health services.
The fundraiser combined a live music night with sales of specially designed t-shirts, with all proceeds going to CMM. The venue was packed, reflecting how well Hankinson was known in the local music scene.
Dave Burnett, CMM's founder and director, said events like this meant more than just the money. "When a community comes together to remember someone they have lost and channels that grief into supporting others, it is one of the most powerful things you can witness. Every pound raised at that gig will go directly to helping someone in Burnley who is struggling right now."
The memorial gig is part of a broader pattern of grassroots fundraising that sustains CMM's operations. The organisation receives no funding from the NHS, local council, or central government, and relies entirely on donations, clothing sales from its Howe Walk premises, and community-organised events to fund its free counselling and group therapy sessions.
Burnley has one of the highest suicide rates in England, at 17.4 per 100,000 people compared with a national average of 10.9. For many families in the town, the loss of someone to mental illness is not an abstract concern but a lived experience. Events like this show how the community is responding.