What made you want to get involved in We Shall Overcome?

I wanted to help the people I love who are suffering such real hardship and make a positive statement that enough is enough.

Musicians are so often willing to step up when people are in real need — this is an amazing chance to make music so loud across the whole of Britain that we give the people who are being so seriously harmed by these cuts a real voice and also help the charities, foodbanks and groups that are going to very seriously have to save lives if things don’t change.

I wanted to get involved because music bridges so many gaps. At the grassroots, it tends to thrive even more when the times are toughest. I wanted to share in the event and help as many people as possible and be part of this amazing national community.

You’re the organiser of events at the Station Hotel in Ashton-under-Lyme. What’s the line-up going to be?

Originally we planned to do a day but it sort of grew and it’s now six, from September 30-October 5 with bands, musicians, artists, bikes, beer and good mates — there’ll be nearly 50 artists and bands taking part.

We have seven nominated charities and good causes that will really help those hardest hit and stalls on the all-dayers that will let other charities and groups raise awareness.

How is austerity affecting people locally?

We’re a community pub and a real family here so we do tend to get involved a lot with charities but at the minute it seems like everyone we care about is in real trouble.

I’m having to make up food parcels for people who have such bad mental health issues they sometimes can’t leave home — they miss appointments, get sanctioned and often have no dedicated key worker because of cuts.

This year we raised the money to get a lad who had survived many years of awful abuse off the streets — we let him stop at the pub for a couple of nights when it was freezing and then ended up getting him a flat and everyone got furniture together and he’s now safe and part of the family.

I have so many people I care about struggling, not getting therapy or counselling because of cuts or not being able to eat every day because they make sure their kids are fed first.

A friend who was facing eviction because of the bedroom tax killed himself ­— a wonderful musician, silenced by hateful policies.

I have elderly people being threatened with bailiffs because of council tax arrears. I have a friend who put himself through detox to beat a drink problem and he completed it successfully three months ago, now he is in bits every day because he hasn’t had the therapy that should have given him support afterwards. I have people coming to me in tears for debt advice — I used to be a debt counsellor — because they are on zero-hours contracts and have had hardly any work for a month.

And I have another two friends who have made genuine attempts to end it all in the last three months because they have lost all hope. I’m helping them and we are getting there step by step but I’m getting so very tired it terrifies me that I might drop the ball and we will lose someone else.

One of your gigs is going to be something very special...

Something really incredible happened — every Thursday we have a music group for people with mental health problems and some really serious learning difficulties.

They get kicked about every which way and they have such a tough time of it but they have the biggest hearts in the world and they just love playing. It’s all percussion really and I have some musos that come and jam for them to play to.

They all love this little bit of performing and the music really matters to them.

The best thing in their whole week is coming here on a Thursday for two hours for the Headjam session and being accepted, made welcome, loved and treated like we treat all our mates. Nobody sneers, points, judges or looks the other way.

They asked if they could be part of this and I said we would be incredibly proud if they would. So now a bunch of people who have sod all are going to play their hearts out and have not a jam but their first ever “proper” gig.

I wish you could see what this has given them, they are holding their heads up and they are so bloody proud.

I’m going to do them their own posters, give them a rider and treat them like stars for the night, because they really are.

I am so proud of them.

What are your biggest hopes for We Shall Overcome?

I reckon we are going to own a huge chunk of the grassroots music community regardless of how many big venues join up. The charities we are nominating are absolutely over the moon and I have got so many people sharing the event already.

There is so much growing out of it. We have other community groups coming and running stalls here free of charge and they can then let people know what they are doing too — and we are just one little pub.

I think a lot more people are weighing this up and will end up getting involved and I also really think the ones that don’t will kick themselves afterwards. This has got a soul now, it’s going to be incredible.

What are you most looking forward to about October 2-4?

All of it. Seeing everyone come together to sing out a protest that can’t not be heard and that is generating concrete help for people. Most of all, I’m looking forward to Headjam on the Thursday.

I’m hoping that we can pull the whole thing off, with loads to hand over to the charities and I’m really looking forward to sitting round a fire in our beer garden with my team here and having a pint — of tea!

• Details of events are on twitter #weshallovercomeweekend and online at weshallovercomeweekend.com. Matt Hill blogs at quietloner.com.