No Mugs: Rich Pastrami & Sheffield Young Carers
On 29 February, we celebrated the life of Rich Haslett at 'No Mugs', an event at his favourite local venue, Hagglers Corner in Heeley. He was well known amongst Sheffield clubbers as Rich Pastrami and DJ'd as part of the duo North 'n' South. Rich passed away suddenly in December at the age of 47, whilst out running with friends.
Many of his friends and those who cared about him, including over a dozen DJs, made 'No Mugs' a marathon 13-hour session. Moving from an afternoon family do to late night dancing, the event was an emotional yet celebratory event with a soundtrack that ranged from Dancehall to Soul to Techno, across three areas of Hagglers Corner. Many of the DJs chose their tunes with Rich in mind, while other people have shared some of his favourite tracks on Facebook.
Just a month before he died, our charity Sheffield Young Carers paid tribute to Rich with a special award - in the shape of a 12" vinyl record, of course - to thank him for all the amazing work he had done to raise money and awareness for our efforts to support young carers.
Rich put on many nights to raise money to fund our work
We don't know exactly why Rich picked Sheffield Young Carers as a charity to support, but with a career as a mental health nurse and working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), it was clear that he understood and valued work that supports young people.
Over seven years, Rich put on many nights to raise money to fund our work helping young people who have to look after a family member who is disabled, ill, elderly, has mental health issues or an alcohol or drug problem.
With collection tins adorning his turntables, Rich raised over £1,500 during his lifetime and helped to increase awareness of young carers and what we do to support them. Since his death, through a collection at his funeral and an online fundraiser, his family and friends have donated well over £5,000 for this work - a figure which is now being matched by one of Rich's friend's employers, River Island.
Rich's family are currently thinking about how we might use this amazing sum of money, with some of the options including funding creative activities for young carers, supporting our young carers to campaign and raise their voice, or taking families on days out to create positive memories to see them through the tough times.
To keep Rich's memory alive for years to come, we will also be establishing an annual award in his honour that we will present at our AGM to recognise others who show the passion and commitment that he did.
Rich Haslett was much more to us than a supporter: he was a friend. So, here's to Rich and his enduring tagline that defined the many Sheffield nights he put on, based on kindness and good vibes: no mugs.
To find out more about support available for young people who support a loved one visit: www.sheffieldyoungcarers.org.uk.
Katie Borland
