HELP STEPHEN GET BACK ON HIS FEET

As many might have heard on the news, our close friend Stephen Loughran had an unfortunate start to 2022. Like so many musicians, Stephen was just recently starting to recover from the impact of the pandemic. Then, on 23 January this year, all of his gear was stolen. Someone broke into his car and took the source of his entire livelihood: his flute, a MacBook Pro, two microphones, a pair of in-ear monitors, and two hard drives — for the combined value of approximately £7k.

 

The hard drives contained a range of musical projects, including work that helped Belfast become the UNESCO City of Music in 2021. As part of the grant awarded to the council for gaining this title, Stephen was named as one of five local ‘musicians in residence’ and had been tasked with delivering a Freedom of the City music programme. All of the work he had so far completed for the project, and more personal work, was on one of the stolen hard drives. The Irish flute was a one-of-a-kind instrument made by Breton flute-maker Stephane Morvane and of huge sentimental value.

 

A viral post and a large amount of media attention followed. The outpouring of support, particularly from Belfast's arts and music scene , was a real source of comfort as Stephen came to grips with the situation. However, even though he has since shown a great deal of patience, optimism, and hard work, as his friends we have also seen that the whole ordeal has had a serious financial and emotional impact. It is now April, and none of the stolen goods have been recovered and, even though the claim is legitimate, his insurance company has refused to cover the loss of his flute. This is deeply frustrating and he is currently fighting their decision, but things are not looking promising.

 

For these reasons, we are now appealing to Stephen’s friends, family, fellow musicians and the wider community to help replace some of what he lost and finally bounce back from this unlucky spell. Anything you can give is and will be greatly appreciated, and when the time is right, we know that Stephen will pay this support forward.