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June 11, 2004
Get up! Get on up!
After the success of the London2Sydney charity car painting, Cancer Research UK fundraising took a musical form this time as a troupe of talented musicians from Powerhouse music school in London came to Bedford’s Esquires music venue to entertain and delight.
At a chance meeting with Nick a few weeks ago, Powerhouse vocalist Sam Vaughan had mentioned that she was planning a charity concert to benefit CRUK and, on hearing about London2Sydney she suggested that we join forces.
With styles ranging from rock, funk and soul all on the menu, the program included a wide variety of acts showcasing Powerhouse’s hottest young musicians and included such classic floor-fillers as James Brown’s Sex Machine, Wild Cherry's Play That Funky Music and Ocean Colour Scene's The Riverboat Song.
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The interval provided another great opportunity for fundraising as, thanks to the generosity of a number of local businesses (and to Nick’s sister Clare for getting in contact with them all), we had a great selection of prizes to give away in a charity raffle.
- Marks & Spencer - bottle of wine and box of chocolates
- Tescos - £10 store voucher
- Debenhams - two teddy bears
- Chambers Newsagents (Brickhill Post Office) - box of chocolates
- He Keech & Son Green Grocers and Fruit Sellers - box of fruit
- Sports Interactive - Championship Manager 03/04 & fluffy football
And a glow-in-the-dark Mosque Alarm Clock from an anonymous benefactor!
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With the Powerhouse musicians back on the stage, the dance-floor quickly filled up once again and we were treated to another dazzling and energetic set, and two rousing encores.
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The event was a great success, raising a total of £200.52, and as always with London2Sydney, every penny of that will be going straight to CRUK.
A big thank you to everyone involved and everyone who came to support the event and create such a great atmosphere and wonderful spirit of support.
For me, the two years since the London2Sydney expedition came into being and we started raising money for Cancer Research UK have been littered with poignant reminders of why the charitable aspect of the expediton is so important. I had yet another one of those moments when talking with Myrren Daly, one of the Powerhouse vocalists.
Her sister, Bryony, has been battling cancer since the age of 9 and as she is no longer responding positively to conventional therepies, our National Health Service is unable to offer the treatments that she needs. Bryony’s family have set up a charity to help not only her, but others like her, and I’d encourage you to take a moment to visit the Yes To Life website www.yestolife.co.uk to see if there's anything you can do to help.
There are so many deserving causes out there, but events such as the charity car painting and the Get Up! Get On Up! concert have really brought it home to me that when a great number of people come together, it only takes each of them to give a little for much to be achieved.
Posted by andy at June 11, 2004 10:07 PM
