Artograffi #147
Are concert tickets too much?
When I was writing this article, Taylor Swift came to Edinburgh and performed there live as part of her world tour. The prices for the tickets varied depending on where they were in the stadium, but were on average £206. However 14% of fans who bought VIP ticket packages spent over £400 – and this made me think… is this too much money to spend on a concert that you could watch on TV, especially when some people can’t afford a lot of essential things in the first place?
Photo by Hope Vernon (who used to be in Artograffi.) She saw Taylor Swift in Edinburgh and gave us permission to use this great photo.
For my example I decided to use Taylor Swift – a well known singer who sang songs you will definitely recognise like ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’. She was in the UK and charging quite a lot for the tickets. To me, her prices seemed a little on the expensive side, and made me wonder if other singers/bands did this.
Relatively recently one of my friends went to two concerts for Pierce the Veil and the Arctic Monkeys. The prices of the tickets were £43 for Pierce the Veil, and for the Arctic Monkeys around £48. Although the price of the venue would have been more expensive for Taylor Swift’s concert, I’m guessing she made a lot more money. At a time where families are struggling to feed themselves, is it really right to charge so much?
Maybe it is because she is more popular, so she knows there will be more fans willing to pay a lot of money for tickets. I don’t know for sure though. Of course, if they have the money and enjoy the singer/band, many people will have thought it was worthwhile.
By Grace
Have you ever felt like your teachers were leaving you?
Well ours are and it’s a bit concerning how so many are leaving. Why are they are leaving? We wondered if the school is that bad and they are not getting high enough pay.
Here’s who is leaving:
Executive Head, Director of maths, Director of English, Part time maths teacher, Humanities teacher, IT teacher. Two other teachers are leaving because there won’t be a year 5 next year.
“One of my favourite teachers is leaving to go to Australia and I am sad. But I hope she has happy life.” Eden said.
We asked a teacher but we are not going to name them: Why are so many teachers leaving all at once? They said “It could be for a lot of reasons. Personal things, or maybe some people want a promotion.” They didn’t think it was because the school is worse than any other school.
Mr Rodgers (Head teacher) is one of those who is leaving. He said “We have had much greater turnover of staff in recent years – in a school of over 100 staff, and over 50 teachers, this kind of movement at the end of the academic year is quite normal.”
By Issy Dunn
Thanks to all the generous people in Amble
We were very honoured that Lynne Morelli from Amble Food Bank came in to talk to us. Lynne is the secretary of the Food Bank and one of their volunteers. She explained what a food bank is. Amble Food Bank is an official charity, that people who are struggling to pay their bills get food parcels from. The Amble Food Bank started about seven or eight years ago. Lynne started volunteering with them in 2020. She told us it is hard work to run the food bank seven days per week.
Eden, Lynne, Nina and Issy
Lynne told us when it started, the food bank mainly helped people who weren’t working or were on benefits. But now they are getting a lot of people who work but still can’t afford things. There is a big mix of people who get food parcels, there are families, singles, elderly and single parents.
Sometimes people are embarrassed because they always managed, but something happens and now they can’t. Sometimes people will even cry on the phone to them! Some people need help for a small time, some need help for longer.
Often people think that others try to scam the food bank to get free food. But really someone at the council assesses the person and then they contact the food bank. Lynne says “most people are very genuine and they get closely vetted by the council”
What goes into a food parcel?
Food parcels are made up with packets and tins of food. Typical items in a bag include pasta, rice, cereal, tinned meat, tuna, vegetables, soup, rice pudding, custard and fruit. Also cereal, milk, biscuits, pasta sauce. If they have a baby they will get nappies and baby food and if they have pets they will get pet food very kindly donated by a local pet charity. If they have allergies or dietary requirements they cater for them too! They also get food kindly donated by local shops and community groups! Lynne says there are very generous people in Amble.
How to donate to the food bank
To make a financial donation, cash and cheques can be addressed to Amble Food Bank and posted through the letterbox at Trinity Methodist Church. A bank transfer can be made to Amble Food Bank, sort code 77-20-04, account number 17925260.
How to Contact Amble Food Bank
If you are in need, you can get a referral through an agency such as Citizens Advice or contact Northumberland Communities Together on 01670 620015, 9am-5pm. The food bank’s email is: amble.fb@gmail.com
By Eden
Some of our favourite things
Chocolate ice cream at Morwick Ice cream shop
Sweetie Pie ice cream at Spurreli’s
Playing on the rocks at low tide at the jumpy shore
Seeing the daffodils at Warkworth Castle
Milk shakes at Hauxley vending machine
Going to the giant’s cave
Going to the skatepark
By Issy 🙂
Wait till you hear the cost of Oasis tickets. Would be great if they had the other main musicians playing as well.