#oxjam

13 October 2010 - The Gaumont State played host to an evening of fashion, glamour and music for the Oxjam Kilburn Festival. CONIC doors reopened to the public for the first time in nearly 15 years to allow the community to enjoy a night of fashion, glamour and music. The famous art deco Gaumont State Theatre, in Kilburn High Road, was one of the largest cinema auditoriums in Europe when it opened in 1937, and it was restored to its original glory last Friday when it played host to a charity fashion show. 

https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/kilburn-gaumont-state-hosts-charity-fashion-show-1-679165

With less than a month to go before the big day on the 10th November, we thought it was high time for you to meet the friendly (we hope?!) faces behind this year’s Oxjam Norwich! We chatted to festival coordinators Beth and Georgia, and big boss festival manager Tara, about Norwich, music, and charity shop bargains...

Tara Deboys - Festival Manager 

What one reason most made you want to become part of the Oxjam 2018 team? Becoming the festival manager was super unexpected but incredibly exciting! I wanted to showcase my existing event management skills while building upon my fundraising knowledge, for an event I was passionate about in the city I love living in. What are you most excited to bring to this year’s festival to make it your own? I am really excited to be able to use my existing Norwich connections (after having lived here for 8 years) in the business and music communities to make this year’s festival truly community-orientated! Proudest Oxjam moment so far? Finalising plans on our first ever fundraiser at the Waterfront and getting the  posters and ticket sales through was very exciting! ...and your best ever Oxfam charity shop find? I’m a huge child inside so the Moomin range Oxfam brought out in their stores is probably my favourite! 

Beth Ramsay - Production Coordinator 

Reason that most made you want to become part of the Oxjam 2018 team?

Since I moved to the fine city a couple of years ago - how time flies! - I've been an avid gig-goer. It's been amazing to finally play a part in the vibrant noz musical landscape by putting on our own gigs (without subjecting anyone to my squeaky violin tunes). Plus it's been amazing to delve in to the nitty gritty of what Oxfam does as a worldwide charity so it feels pretty darn good to help the cause just a lil bit.

What are you most excited to bring to this year’s festival to make it your own?

With this year's lineup, we're hoping to - as cringey as it sounds - bring the audience on a journey from venue to venue. I know all too well the pain of lineup clashes, so I wanted to make the festival timings as cohesive as possible so you can pretty much follow it all as it progresses from the acoustic afternoon acts to the big ol' closers that eve.

Proudest Oxjam moment so far? 

Somehow (almost) seamlessly pulling off our 'women of oxjam' fundraiser gig at the oxfam shop, in particular when the audience sat down and watched our wonderful headliner Ginny Dix do what she does best. You could hear a pin drop...I felt very gushy and proud!

...and you best ever Oxfam charity shop find?

I bought one of those old lil non-fiction books of flower types and when I got home found someone had pressed pretty much all of the flowers into the corresponding pages. The best thing was how excited my dad was about it!

Georgia Rees-Lang - Marketing Coordinator 

What one reason most made you want to become part of the Oxjam 2018 team? Becoming a part of the Oxjam team felt like such a great opportunity to do some good for an amazing cause, while also gaining experience in a bunch of areas I’m passionate in.  What are you most excited to bring to this year’s festival to make it your own? It’s been really exciting to have an all female festival organisers team this year, especially seeing as it can be such a male dominated field, so I hope we’ve managed to bring our personality across in the marketing and social media side of things. It’s a pretty cool achievement, in my opinion anyway! Proudest Oxjam moment so far?

Overhearing people who don’t know I’m involved in Oxjam talking about how excited for it they are is definitely an amazing feeling... I’ve had to stop myself running over and maniacally joining in their conversations on a few occasions! 

...and your best ever Oxfam charity shop find?