The pop superstar toured music venues as he launched his foundation’s work in Wales
A YOUTH music charity in Cardiff has been given three years of funding by Ed Sheeran to support its work with young musicians.
“We are so excited,” said Carole Blade, manager of Sound Progression, which hosted the pop superstar as he launched the Ed Sheeran Foundation.
Sound Progression has seven different centres and the donation from the pop superstar’s charity has enabled its city centre youth facility, Grassroots, to hold more sessions.
“The Grassroots centre can now open at the weekend, as well as having Tuesday and Thursday drop-in sessions,” said Ms Blade.
The Saturday drop-in sessions offer mentors to help with songwriting, music production and podcasting. Sunday sessions require a booking and are for existing bands to develop their music.
Ms Blade said the donation was welcome support given the current state of funding of Welsh music.
The Art Council Wales has reported a 40% real-terms reduction in revenue funding for culture since 2010, despite an economic benefit of £2.52 for every £1 spent on cultural activities.
This underfunding is particularly damaging to people from disadvantaged backgrounds and people who do not have access to music in schools, she said.
Sound Progression supports 16 to 25 year-olds, many of whom have struggled with traditional education. About 35% of members come from a minority ethnic background.
“You don’t need to have a musical academic background to create music,” Ms Blade said.
Sound Progression’s founder, Paul Lyon added: “It is not just about qualifications, it is about grit and determination.”
Sound Progression has centres in some of the more deprived areas of Cardiff: Ely, Splott, St Mellons, Butetown, Gabalfa, Llanedeyrn and the city centre.
Its 12 mentors support young people to produce original music ranging from Afrobeats to indie to rap.
The group holds 55 sessions a week about songwriting, music production and podcasting.
Mr Lyon said the centres also provide a communal space for young people to just go in and have a coffee.
The charity will also be able to support more of their acts to go to festivals and performances.
Sound Progression musicians perform quarterly at Clwb Ifor Bach. It would also like to return to events in TramShed, Green Man Festival, Live Fest, Immersed Festival and put on events at the Norwegian Church.
Ed Sheeran visited Grassroots with Grammy award-winning, singer-songwriter Amy Wadge, to launch the foundation in Wales.
The young musicians had not been told Ed Sheeran was visiting the centre and were shocked when he walked into their production suites.
Replay, a bilingual Welsh and English rapper, performed for him.
“Ed and Amy were really impressed with how well his rap flowed from English and Welsh,” said Ms Blade.
The pop star even started a podcast called Yap No Cap with Makeba Nicholls, 28.
Grassroots hosted a performance in the lobby area with a question and answer session afterwards. “Young people were able to chat to him and he even gave them feedback,” Ms Blade said.
The Ed Sheeran Foundation also gave one-off donations to Ministry of Life Education (MOL), Aloud charity and Fitzalan High School.
MOL Education, provides 16 to 25-year-olds with musical qualifications. They have around 70 full-time students each year.
Zippy, the director of MOL education, said the donation would be used to make their Cardiff Music Conference “bigger and better”.
He added: “We always make sure that we pay all of the artists that perform. The donation means we can be a bit more generous this year.”
The conference is returning to Clwb Ifor Bach in the spring for the second year.
Zippy also hinted that they were speaking to some high-profile musicians that could perform at the conference, but did not want to disclose who this would be. He said: “It definitely helps when you name-drop Ed Sheeran.”
Mr Sheeran visited Eastmoors Youth Centre, in Splott, which is one of the youth centres involved in MOL education.
Zippy said: “Wales doesn’t get as much of a look-in as places like London, Birmingham, Manchester. So, for him to come here on the first stop of his tour is going to inspire people.”
Mr Sheeran performed alongside two musicians from the project, singer Jessika Kay, and rapper Kors.
“I’ve felt a lot more inspired to continue striving towards my musical career since I had the opportunity to sing with Ed. His visit made me feel like there’s someone as big and successful as him, that cares about Cardiff and its music scene,” said Jessika Kay.
Aloud, a charity that gives free access to choirs for young people in South Wales, also received a generous donation from the Ed Sheeran Foundation to keep its weekly rehearsals running, provide uniforms and music scores to the choirs.
Craig Yates, creative director of Aloud, said that 2024 had been a particularly tough year for the group. It had been forced to pull its resources from North and West Wales to concentrate their efforts in South Wales, where it started.
“This donation gives us stability and extends our reach. We are hopeful we will be able to expand back to North and West Wales again,” Mr Yates said.
He added: “The arts are so important for people’s mental health and for their wellbeing….It is a real lifeline for a lot of these young people. That is the reason we exist in South Wales, to give opportunities to people who wouldn’t have them otherwise.”
The group started with the Only Boys Aloud choir in 2010 and has expanded to include girls and younger children’s choirs.Its biggest achievement to date was coming third place on Britain’s Got Talent in 2012.
Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge also visited Fitzalan High School, where the Only Boys Aloud choir performed in front of them, as well as 2,000 children.
Mr Yates said that Ed Sheeran’s visit would rival their third place in Britain’s Got Talent.
“That is something that they will be telling their grandchildren. He sang for them, and they sang for him. This is a life-varying moment,” Mr Yates said.
- Click here to find out more about Sound Progression, Aloud and MOL Education
