The Syd Barrett Trust - Patrons, Friends & Supporters

Apart from music, my great loves are literature (I’m a member of the Keats/Shelley Memorial Association), rugby (I’m a passionate supporter and season ticket-holder at Leicester Tigers), number theory (I’m participating in the search for large prime numbers) and the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (I’m an Associate of the SETI project in California).

I’ve done a fair amount of cycling and running, and next year am running the London and New York marathons (I’ve run London twice before). I studied Chemistry at University in an attempt to pinpoint the exact location of an electron – my maths was never good enough to understand why this is impossible. In my day job I work in the telecommunications industry, where I am working hard to build a “happiness-centred business” inspired by, amongst others, people as diverse as Dr. Paddi Lund, Lance Armstrong and Mother Theresa.

Symon will be giving a talk about his book at Borders

The City Wakes is the worlds first official tribute to Pink Floyd founding member Syd Barrett and will incorporate a series of multi-faceted events to celebrate the life and works of Syd, including an art exhibition, tours of Syds Cambridge, a stage show and music workshops.

Premiering in Syds hometown of Cambridge in October 2008, before a planned transfer to London, The City Wakes has generated a considerable amount of interest from Cambridgeshire and national businesses looking to support the event through sponsorship deals.

This ambitious insight into Syds early life which has been organised by arts and mental health charity and professional production house Escape Artists will raise funds for its work with disadvantaged communities in the UK.

The first business to announce their involvement with this great project is the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. The NHS funding will make it possible to hold music workshop programmes for Escape Artist clients.

Karen Bell, Chief Executive, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust says of their donation:

"We are very pleased to support 'The City Wakes' project which will provide those with mental health problems with an opportunity for involvement in an exciting and creative festival of music and arts. The project will challenge traditional stereotypes about mental illness, and complements our own work on tackling discrimination and promoting recovery and social inclusion."

The City Wakes will be part of The University of Cambridge Festival of Ideas a celebration of the arts, humanities and social sciences - in venues throughout the City of Cambridge. Escape Artists are delighted to have been asked to present The City Wakes at the Festival.

For more information on how to get your business involved in this great event The City Wakes please take a look at www.thecitywakes.org.uk or contact kelly@quitegreat.co.uk

Our members mostly consist of young artists and musicians, united in a common mission, to seek better ways to serve others and improve the quality of life in our communities. UFO supports programs that educate and enrich, and sponsor events that provide platforms that the general public can use to spring forward creative ideas. We sponsor innovative and fun activities, such as, multi-cultural music and art gatherings to raise funds for important causes.

Our most critical mission is to allow for all people to have access to free education and information/communication technologies in order to help promote creative self expression. Currently we are developing a non-profit coffee house in Folsom, California and hosting many music and art gatherings to help raise much needed funds for community programs that are in line with our mission.