Behind the music: Joe Strummer's spirit lives on through his charity

I once had the good fortune to meet Joe Strummer. About a decade ago on a flight to New York, I sat next to his band, the Mescaleros. I didn't know who they were at first, but by the end of the flight we'd been playing each other our music and they'd introduced me to Strummer, who was sitting a few rows back. He asked how I was getting into the city and offered me a ride in his limo with him and his wife. He also invited me to a gig he was doing for Spin magazine along with Run DMC the following night, with a backstage pass on top. I found him unassuming, gentle and passionate. He was incredibly generous with his time and resources – especially considering I was an unknown songwriter he'd just met. His death a year or so later came as a complete shock.

So I was impressed when I came across the charity set up by his family and friends after his death, because the words I've just used to describe him pretty much describe the work they do, too. Strummerville started out by supplying a rehearsal space at the Roundhouse in London, charging £1 an hour. Eight years later the charity has become a force of nature, with numerous rehearsal spaces available for that same price, including two in Belfast.

This year, it has helped put more than 40 bands in the studio (EMI Music Publishing and Metropolis donate studio time). To give bands the chance to hone their live performances and gain exposure, it organises "campfire sessions" at festivals such as Glastonbury, where they can perform. The organisation has brought bands over to the SXSW music conference in Austin, Texas – and even has a Strummerville tour bus they can borrow.

The charity is run by Trish Whelan, who once worked for Island Records. "We used to have a real culture of developing acts at Island," she says. "Managers and labels used to be happy to take a chance on acts. They can't afford to any more." This is how bands such as Pulp were able to develop, she says, adding that she believes it afforded them greater dignity. "I believe in DIY, but I also realise that's not enough."

Strummerville provides practical help, as even smaller costs can be debilitating when you're trying to carve out a career in music while working for minimum wage. "When we went to SXSW, much of the attention seemed to focus on the tech part of the conference. They were all talking about creating apps," says Whelan. "The guys I deal with don't even have money for pay as you go." She says the charity tries to help everybody. "We don't judge. We give them the freedom and support to do what they want."

They also support Billy Bragg's charity Jail Guitar Doors, which takes its name from the B-side of the Clash's 1978 single, Clash City Rockers. It provides instruments for inmates, helping them use music as a means of rehabilitation – and also functions as a platform when they get out of prison, with a number of former prisoners playing at their SXSW gig. The Strummerville website has a DIY section where bands can post free MP3s, with a top 10 list of the most downloaded ones. When Mumford & Sons started out, one of their tracks became the site's second most popular download. Now the band often get Strummerville artists to open for them. "There's a sense of family among the bands," says Whelan.

Meanwhile the list of projects the charity is involved in keeps getting longer. It has helped put together an anti-knife crime record for murder and manslaughter support organisation SAMM, and recently started a project in Detroit turning derelict buildings into rehearsal spaces. It has built a music centre in an orphanage in Malawi. The lead singers of two Strummerville bands are about to visit the space and to hold songwriting workshops for 40 orphans living there. The charity has also provided a full kit and rig for the country's Abatonga Vibes band.

So how does Strummerville fund these projects? Its biggest donor is the artist Damian Hirst, who was a friend of Strummer's. Hirst says that if it wasn't for the Clash frontman he wouldn't be an artist in the first place, and he has auctioned a number of pieces to raise money for the organisation. There are frequent fundraising concerts around the world, as well as a donation page on the site.

This year sees the eighth anniversary of Strummer's passing on 22 December 2002. If he was still alive today, I bet Strummer would be doing exactly what his foundation does: reaching out to people in need and giving them the tools to fulfil their dreams through music. Strummerville is proof of how one man's passion can live on long after his own untimely death.