Drumathon – Four Hours of Drumming for Charity
Drumathon: Four Hours of Rhythm for Charity
The Moment It All Locked In
Somewhere during the afternoon there was a moment when everything clicked.
The rhythm had been flowing for quite some time. Drummers were completely absorbed in the groove. People in the room were smiling, listening, responding to one another — and the music seemed to take on a life of its own.
That’s the thing about rhythm when it’s shared like this. It stops feeling like individual players making sounds and starts to feel like one living pulse moving through the room.
For a few minutes, it felt as though the whole space was breathing together through the drums.
Those are the moments that remind you why music matters.
Four hours of drumming…
No breaks in the rhythm. No dropping out of the groove.
That was the challenge behind ‘Drumathon’, a fundraising drumming event I created to support the charity Project 6, which helps people rebuilding their lives after drug and alcohol addiction.
On Saturday, I took on that challenge together with some musician friends, keeping the rhythm going for four continuous hours while other drummers joined in throughout the afternoon.
By the end of the event, not only had the rhythm held strong — we had also raised over £1,000 for the charity.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
From Idea to Reality
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog announcing the idea for Drumathon and inviting people to be part of it.
At that stage it was still just a thought: could we bring our drumming community together and keep the rhythm going for four continuous hours?
African drumming has a remarkable way of drawing people into the moment. Once the groove settles in, players begin to listen more closely to each other. Rhythms start to interlock, energy builds, and the room begins to feel like a shared musical space rather than just a group of individuals.
What I hoped for was a room full of rhythm and community spirit.
What actually happened was even better.
A Room Full of Rhythm
Throughout the afternoon the rhythm never stopped.
Different players stepped forward to lead sections, introducing new grooves and guiding the group through changing patterns. Some rhythms were powerful and driving. Others settled into deep, hypnotic grooves where everyone locked into the pulse together.
African drumming is at its best when it’s shared.
Each drum part has its role — bass patterns anchoring the rhythm, accompanying parts weaving together, and lead drums adding expression and variation.
No single drum carries the music on its own.
And that was exactly the spirit of Drumathon. The four-hour rhythm was held together by a core group of players, while others joined in, supported the groove and brought their own energy into the room.
The People Who Made It Happen
Drumathon brought together an incredible mix of people.
Members of our regular drumming classes were at the heart of the event, bringing their enthusiasm and musical energy into the room. We were also joined by guest musicians who came to support the challenge, and it meant a great deal that some people travelled from outside Sheffield to take part.
The atmosphere throughout the afternoon was something really special — focused when the rhythms deepened, joyful when the grooves lifted, and always full of encouragement for whoever stepped forward to lead.
Supporting Project 6
The reason for organising Drumathon was to raise money for Project 6, a charity doing vital work supporting people recovering from addiction.
Recovery journeys are rarely simple. They require resilience, support, and community.
Music cannot solve everything, but rhythm has an extraordinary ability to bring people together. When people sit in a circle with drums, something shifts — barriers soften, listening deepens, and connections form.
If Drumathon helped support the work Project 6 is doing, then the four hours of drumming were time very well spent.
What Drumathon Reminded Us
Events like this reinforce something I see again and again through the work we do at Unbeatable Energy.
When people sit together with drums, something changes.
People listen more closely. They respond to each other. They begin to find a shared pulse.
And once that shared pulse is there, the music becomes something bigger than any individual player.
That’s where the real magic of drumming lives.
Thank You
A huge thank you to everyone who played, donated, supported, or helped spread the word.
Drumathon started as a simple idea — a musical challenge to raise money for a good cause.
What it became was a celebration of rhythm, community, and the incredible energy that emerges when people come together through music.
And who knows… this might not be the last Drumathon.
Drumathon Legacy
If you would still like to support the fundraising effort for Project 6, donations remain open on the JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/african-drumathon
Every contribution helps support the important work they are doing for people rebuilding their lives after addiction.
Drumathon: Why I'm Doing It (and How You Can Be Part of It)
Drumathon: Why I'm Doing It (and How You Can Be Part of It)
Drumathon is a personal endurance drumming challenge I’m taking on to raise funds for Project 6, a Sheffield-based charity supporting people affected by drug and alcohol addiction.
Drumathon is a four-hour, non-stop African drumming challenge I’m taking on as both a personal endurance test and a community fundraising event. Playing continuously for that length of time is physically demanding and mentally focused — and that challenge is very much the point.
This project is rooted in my own journey. In my twenties, I struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and African drumming became one of the things that helped me find structure, focus, and a way forward, alongside the support of other people. That’s why Drumathon is raising funds for Project 6, whose work supports people facing those same challenges today.
Drumathon isn’t just about endurance — it’s about rhythm, support, and bringing people together around something positive.
The short video below explains where the idea for Drumathon came from and what the challenge will involve.
Why Drumathon Matters to Me
African drumming has been part of my life for over three decades, but its role has gone far beyond music. During a difficult period in my twenties, when I was struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, rhythm became one of the things that helped me rebuild structure, focus, and a sense of direction — alongside the vital support of other people. I’m now 26 years clean and sober, and that journey continues to shape how and why I work with rhythm today.
Drumathon grows directly out of that experience. African drumming, with its grounding pulse, shared rhythms, and physicality, taught me the value of staying present and connected through challenge rather than stepping away from it. That’s why this project feels so closely aligned with Project 6, whose work centres on support, connection, and practical help for people affected by drug and alcohol addiction — the same combination of things that made a difference in my own life.
At its heart, Drumathon is about recognising that people don’t get through difficult periods on their own — and that rhythm, community, and encouragement can play a powerful role in that process.
A Shared Rhythm: How Drumathon Works on the Day
Drumathon will take place on:
Saturday 28th February 26 13:00-17:00 at
Sharrow Community Forum, The Old Junior School, South View Rd, Sharrow, Sheffield S7 1DB.
While I’ll be taking on the challenge of four hours of continuous African drumming, the event itself is designed as a community drum circle. People are warmly invited to come and join the drumming, play accompaniment rhythms alongside me, and help carry the energy of the four-hour journey.
Throughout the event, we’ll be supporting participants with simple, accessible African rhythms, and everyone is welcome to play for as long or as little as they like. Some people may dip in briefly, others may stay longer — all of it contributes to the shared experience. Drumathon is about collective rhythm, encouragement, and togetherness, using African drumming as a way to bring people together while raising funds for Project 6.
How You Can Support Drumathon
There are a few simple ways you can support Drumathon and help make the event a success.
If you’d like to sponsor the challenge, you can make a donation via the JustGiving page. All funds raised will go to Project 6, supporting their work with people affected by drug and alcohol addiction.
You’re also very welcome to come along on the day, join the drumming for as long or as little as you like, and be part of the shared rhythm and atmosphere. Every person who plays, listens, or brings encouragement helps carry the energy of the four-hour journey.
And finally, sharing Drumathon — with friends, family, colleagues, or on social media — makes a real difference. The more people who know about it, the more support we can generate for the charity and the wider community.
Thank you for being part of it.
