[Press Release] Internationally renowned DJ B.Traits becomes Patron of The Loop
For further information and interviews contact:
Jojo Crago, info@wearetheloop.org / 020 3752 4001 / 07892 882225
Internationally renowned DJ B.Traits becomes Patron of The Loop
Major figures and organisations from the worlds of music, public health, media, policing and politics have all endorsed the pioneering drug testing organisation
The Royal Society for Public Health, Night Time Industries Association, VICE and Greater Manchester Police alongside 23 other organisations officially support the work of The Loop.
Top police from other forces, Sacha Lord Marchionne, director of the Warehouse Project, Cameron Leslie, director of Fabric and former deputy PM Nick Clegg have also backed the initiative.
The Loop have launched a new website, wearetheloop.org
As this year’s festival season commences, figures from policing, event management and public health have announced their support of The Loop, which is set to provide its ground breaking Multi Agency Safety Testing (MAST) service at up to nine UK festivals. Vice and Mixmag will both be partnering with the organisation to provide media support, while the Royal Society for Public Health have endorsed The Loop, describing it as ‘the leading and best practice organisation’ in this area.
Leading police from Manchester, North Cumbria and Cambridgeshire police forces have also spoken out in support of the work of The Loop, which is launching a new website today in advance of this year’s festivals. Last year the organisation tested over 300 samples over the course of two festivals, directly engaging with over 1000 festivalgoers. The issue of drug testing services is also gaining political support, with Nick Clegg MP backing the initiative.
The Loop is also proud to reveal DJ B.Traits and festival manager Jon Drape as patrons. Other leading figures from the music and event management industry, including Sacha Lord Marchionne, co-founder and director of the Warehouse Project, and Cameron Leslie, co-founder and director of Fabric, have also voiced their strong support of the organisation on The Loop website.
B.Traits has long supported the work of The Loop, and uses her influential media presence to full effect by tackling pressing issues like the need for widely accessible drug safety information, as well as fighting passionately for a progressive club scene in the UK. She has collaborated with Professor Fiona Measham and The Loop on various projects including her BBC 3 documentary ‘How Safe Are My Drugs?’ and has participated in a number of conferences and discussions across the UK and overseas.
Jon Drape is the Managing Director of the award winning live music and event production specialist Ground Control, which manages Kendal Calling, one of the first festivals to introduce MAST testing last year, where it was found that 20% of people who used the service disposed of their drugs upon finding out what they contained. The Loop will again be providing this service at Kendal Calling this year, as well as independent festivals Secret Garden Party and Boomtown, as well as potentially several festivals under the Festival Republic brand, which includes Leeds and Reading festivals.
B.Traits, DJ and The Loop Patron said:
“I feel honoured to represent the Loop as a patron. I have supported front of house MAST testing from the beginning, and believe that testing opens the dialogue, promotes harm reduction, and saves lives.”
John Drape, Managing Director, Ground Control and The Loop patron said:
“The biggest threat to the safety of young people at music festivals is the use of drugs, the work that the Loop is doing is clearly groundbreaking, but also a significant way we can mitigate that threat, I'm very proud to be a Patron and help support the work that Fiona & Wilf have started.”
Professor Fiona Measham, The Loop Director said:
“It is a significant step forward for The Loop to have the Royal Society for Public Health support our Multi Agency Safety Testing. The reassuring findings from The Loop’s MAST pilots last year have increased the appetite for its roll-out this summer across the UK and further afield. We believe that prioritising public health over criminal justice for drug users at a time of growing concern about drug-related deaths at festivals and nightclubs can help to reduce drug-related harm both on and off site.
“It is also a great endorsement to have such broad support from members of both the music and event organisation industries. Bri and Jon have been hugely supportive as we have grown, and being able to list them as patrons is a great honour. This shows there are forces within these industries that really are serious about improving the welfare of the people who enjoy their music and attend their events.”
Shirley Cramer CBE, Chief Executive, Royal Society for Public Health said:
“The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) supports the deployment of Multi Agency Safety Testing (MAST) at festivals and in the nighttime economy, as a common sense harm reduction intervention that has the capacity to both reduce the quantity of potentially harmful drugs in circulation in such settings and reduce the probability of serious or lethal harm occurring as a result of their use. RSPH supports The Loop as the leading and trusted best-practice organisation delivering this intervention in a safe and responsible manner in the UK.”
Nick Clegg, former Deputy Prime Minister said:
“People who take drugs have no idea who has made them, how potent they are, or what impurities they contain. Regardless of your views on the legal status of drugs, we need to do more to protect people from harm. That’s why the work of The Loop is so important. It will literally save lives.”
A note on The Loop:
The Loop is an award winning Manchester based charity, founded in 2013, that provides harm reduction and welfare advice and training on sex and drugs at festivals and events across the UK. Since 2016 it has provided Multi Agency Safety Testing (MAST) testing services at festivals, whereby service users can hand over samples of drugs to test for identity and purity. The results are then delivered back to service users as part of a tailored package of harm reduction information, and service users are given the option to dispose of their remaining drugs.
Contact Details:
Jojo Crago, The Loop Operations Manager: 07887 920915, info@wearetheloop.org
Fiona Measham, The Loop Director: fiona@wearetheloop.org