LoveJam alcohol-free community events will return to Sheffield again on April 24th, giving people the chance to socialise and celebrate together.

The event will begin at 6:15pm at Highfield Trinity Church and everyone is welcome.

It will offer people the chance to participate in creative activities like open mic slots where people can showcase their talents such as music, poetry, storytelling and even comedy.

The event also offers an opportunity for people to have fun, dance and celebrate together but also participate in meditation exercises to de-stress and escape from daily life.

Nikki Outram, 39, a Breathwork Facilitator and Engineering Managing Consultant, who is one of the organisers of the event said: “It feels amazing to offer a place where like-minded people can connect, share their passions and feel seen, heard and loved.”

Miss Outram volunteered to be an organiser of Sheffield’s LoveJam events in 2022 and was partly responsible for managing the first LoveJam event in Sheffield in January 2023.

Alongside her, three other ‘Jambassadors’, Denis, Rachael and Angga work tirelessly to organise the events, with each person responsible for managing different parts of the events.

Miss Outram said: “I feel super grateful and privileged to be part of it. It feels amazing to be able to bring so many kind, compassionate and creative souls together and have a safe space to offer the people of Sheffield and surrounding areas.”

She added: “We are open to anyone who wants to share their unique magic with the community.”

A regular attendee of Sheffield’s LoveJam events, Josh Caudwell, has spoken highly about the social value of the event and that it offers a fantastic opportunity for communities to come together to celebrate and have fun.

He said: “I think loneliness is a big problem in our western, individualistic society and we need more of a sense of community and connectedness with other people to be happy.”

He added: “It’s great to meet up for an evening when the events happen and to share music, dancing and conversations with other people.”

In the open mic section of the events, Josh enjoys playing his guitar and others can showcase any of their own individual talents if they wish, as well as bring in food to share with each other.

In addition to the activities, people are welcome to bring donations to support the local community of Sheffield through charitable causes.

Sheffield’s LoveJam events raise between £180-280 per event, contributing greatly to Sheffield’s communities and helping to provide vital funding to upkeep Highfield Trinity Church.

“LoveJam has had life-changing impact”

The LoveJam events are part of a group of nationwide community events taking place all over the UK in places like London, Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow and Leeds among other major cities.

A young couple, Nathan Gallagher and Zena Winterbottom are the founders of LoveJam, who started an informal event back in 2018 in Victoria Park, Hackney, with just some of their friends.

In just over half a decade, little did they know that the popularity and style of the events would attract people from all over the UK and spread the events nationwide.

Today, they have volunteers called ‘Jambassadors’, who organise and help maintain the events in major UK cities aiming to “inspire joy, collective harmony and to encourage creative and authentic expression”, according to LoveJam’s mission statement on their website.

As well as local events, LoveJam also has an annual event held in Tunbridge Wells for four days, where fans of LoveJam from all over the country can come together for huge celebrations in a one-off special event to celebrate all of LoveJam’s participants.

Speaking about the LoveJam events, Zena Winterbottom said: “We have dedicated so much of our lives to this because we really believe LoveJam carries a really unique essence and plays an important role in this collective mission of positive transformation that is worth fighting for.”

Her partner and co-founder Nathan Gallagher said: “LoveJam has had life-changing impact on hundreds if not thousands of people at our Jams over the last half a decade.”

Now, with the rise of the cost-of-living crisis, as every business and household tries to desperately stay alive, Nathan Gallagher and Zena Winterbottom have also been struggling with financing the events.

The couple have called on fans of the event to help out by purchasing their tickets early to the annual big event in Tunbridge Wells, which ensures the financial stability of the events.

Nathan Gallagher said: “All this financial pressure lies on our shoulders. Although we have put on a straight face it has been an overbearingly challenging thing for us to handle.”

He added: “It’s not sustainable enough for us anymore. We need your help.”

The couple hope to reach 700 ticket deposits by 1st May, which will ensure that the future of LoveJam events is secured this year, meaning they will have “enough confidence to go ahead.”

More information about the events and how to donate to LoveJam can be found on their website: https://www.lovejam.community/.