SHOW OF HANDS FANS RAISE £1,400 FOR UK’S LEADING CHILDREN’S CANCER CHARITY
Show of Hands fans dug deep and raised nearly £1,400 for the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity – CLIC Sargent (Cancer & Leukaemia in Childhood) - on Sunday night (December 2).
They bought tickets for a raffle to win a unique recording of the Bristol Colston Hall gig – a special night as singer songwriter and frontman Steve Knightley was able to join the line-up having pulled out of the band’s UK winter tour when his six year old son Jack was diagnosed with leukaemia.
The first three gigs of the tour were cancelled and the tour then recommenced last week with Steve’s musical partner Phil Beer at the helm.
In a message to fans Steve announced that Jack had contracted acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. He said: “This is a life threatening but often curable cancer. My wife Clare and Jack will be travelling to Bristol to begin an intensive round of tests and treatment. For the near future I will be looking after our two youngest children.”
Multi instrumentalist Phil Beer quickly shaped a new show to stage at the remaining venues together with the other original members of the line-up – Show of Hands’s regular bass player and vocalist Miranda Sykes and special guest, Texas-based cult singer songwriter Slaid Cleaves, accompanied by skilled guitarist Michael O’Connor.
The result was that few ticket holders opted for a refund. Said Phil: “The show of solidarity from Show of Hands fans on our website and elsewhere has been incredible as has that of fellow musicians and we thank everyone so much for that. Steve’s family and friends are giving wonderful support and young Jack is in very good hands.”
The Colston Hall concert was an emotionally-charged, exceptional evening with Steve starting the show by talking personally to the audience and the gig ended in two standing ovations. They opened their set with Steve’s apt song The Bristol Slaver. He was able to join the tour as his son is being treated at Bristol Royal Children’s Hospital, within striking distance of the venue.
The CLIC Sargent charity has provided a family room in a house close to the hospital for Steve, Clare and their other two young children – and the money raised by the raffle will pay for five other families in a similar situation to stay at the house for a week.
Following the wonderful response at Bristol, Show of Hands have decided to have further collections for CLIC at the remaining gigs on the tour – Hall for Cornwall, Truro (Weds Dec 5); Lancaster University (December 6); Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby (December 7) and the sold-out Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre on December 8.
Chris Banting of the Bristol CLIC fundraising office said: “It was an excellent and heartfelt evening at Colston Hall. We were bowled over by the fans goodwill and support for Steve and his family.”
The gigs will continue to showcase the newly released milestone double album “Roots -The Best of Show of Hands” which marks the unique 15-year partnership of the award winning duo of Knightley and Beer, who have sold out the Royal Albert Hall three times. Last week they were nominated in two categories of the 2008 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards – Best Duo and Best Live Act.