Manchester’s Got Busking Talent: help your favourite street performer win the title of the city’s Best Busker 

There are plenty of brilliant buskers out entertaining on the city’s streets.

Maybe you’re a fan of Market Street legends The Piccadilly Rats or you prefer the reggae tunes of Ruff Trade.

What about the one-man-band who sometimes stands on the corner of New Cathedral Street? Or the pair of beat-boxers often found performing outside Manchester Arndale?

Now you can help your favourite street performer win the title of Manchester’s Best Busker in a competition organised by Survivors Manchester, a charity which supports male victims of sexual abuse and assault.

Shortlisted buskers will be invited to perform at the Manchester’s Got Busker Talent live final at The Printworks on International Men’s Day on Sunday 19th November.

The judges include Survivors Manchester’s ambassadors Hollyoaks and Emmerdale actor James Sutton, Edinburgh Fringe Award winning comedian Richard Gadd, UK’s leading dating industry expert and blogger Charley Lester, and male rape campaigner and DJ Sam Thompson aka BassDuckFresh.

The competition is being launched to raise awareness of #1BlueString, a global campaign whose name comes from the shocking statistic that 1 in 6 men have suffered some form of sexual abuse. The campaign is inviting guitarists of all abilities to show solidarity by replacing one string of their instrument with a blue string.

“#1BlueString is a global campaign that was created by our amazing friends at 1in6.org in the USA,” says Duncan Craig, CEO and founder of Survivors Manchester and a survivor himself.

“From the moment they told us about it we have wanted to bring it here to Manchester, home of so many musical icons and iconic guitar sounds.”

The winner of Manchester’s Got Busking Talent will get £500 worth of vouchers.

To cast your vote visit the Survivors Manchester Facebook or Twitter page by 5th November.