Happy Mondays’ Bez to wing-walk on plane for music mental health charity

Happy Mondays‘ Bez is set to take part in a wing-walk in support of music mental health charity Tonic.

The dancer and percussionist will take to the skies for the organisation’s third annual fundraiser ‘Barry Ashworth’s Flying Circus’, with the aforementioned Dub Pistols frontman being a patron of Tonic Music For Mental Health.

Taking place at Aerosuperbatics in Cirencester between September 28-29, the ‘Collective Wing Walk for Mental Health’ will also see Nick Reynolds (Alabama 3), Derran Brownson (EMF) and Sian Evans (Kosheen) get involved with the stunt.

There are over 40 wing-walkers due to take part, aiming to raise £80,000 for Tonic. Each participant will walk atop a Boeing Stearman Biplane, performing a series of flypasts, zoom climbs, steep dives and banks and loop-the-loops, as per a press release.

Bez, who’s taking part for the second consecutive year, said: “Everyone going through life suffers highs and lows, and when you’re at one of those low points, it’s good to know that there’s a bit of support out there for you.

Happy Mondays’ Bez. CREDIT: Jim Dyson/Getty Images

“The most important thing is not being afraid to speak out and talk, because when you share your problems, it always lightens the load.”

Ashworth explained: “I’m honoured to launch my Flying Circus Fundraiser this year of all years, because I know the difference it makes to vulnerable people in music, like me, who need help and support to recover as we come out of lockdown.

“I’ve experienced the darker side of the music industry – addiction, depression, anxiety, and exhaustion, so if my fundraising for Tonic Rider with our wing walk for mental health can help save just one life, it will have been worth every second I have invested. We need to hit our £80k target, so please give what you can today to ensure the music community get the mental health support they so need and help create lasting change for the industry.”

• READ MORE: One year of lockdown: Mental health charities on the importance of reaching out for help

Funds raised from ‘Barry Ashworth’s Flying Circus’ will help Tonic to continue providing free, direct, practical mental health support including virtual peer groups, emotional coping skills, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), suicide prevention education, mindfulness, and more.

You can contribute to the official Crowdfunder page and find further information here.

Back in January, Bez launched his own YouTube fitness classes in a bid to stay fit during lockdown. “Last lockdown I got unfit, fat, lazy and into some seriously bad eating habits,” he explained. “This year, this lockdown, I need to sort it out sharpish.”

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