A northern soul gig at Congleton Town Hall raised almost £1,500 for Ruby’s Fund.
DJs Past and Present held its first event in two years at the end of April to raise funds for the charity that provides support for families with children who have special educational needs. It was also an opportunity to remember friend and fellow DJ Andy Hulme, who died last year.
Organisers Richard Wharfe and Chris Booth announced that thanks to ticket sales, raffle sales and donations, £1,457 had been raised.
They said: “The support from local soulies was tremendous and we can’t thank you all enough for attending. We hope you all had a great time and you are all amazing for the additional donations we received on the night.”
Within the total amount, £203 was raised through a raffle and winner David Waite took home the same amount with his winning ticket. It was picked at random by Pamela Hulme, Mr Hulme’s widow.
Megan Morris, finance manager at Ruby’s Fund, based at Roe Street, Congleton, said: “This money will help to make a big difference for our peer support groups, which are really important to our families. They allow people to meet other families on similar journeys, so we really welcome events like this one.”
The team thanked the DJs involved, including Andy Farron, Steve Welch, Keith Goodwin and Mr Wharfe, as well as special guest Dave Hughes, who is well known on the national scene. Their services were offered for free and the organisers said that, without them, the event would not have been possible.
They also thanked commercial partner Gary Bailey and his team at Congleton Town Hall who manned the bar, GT Security and Congleton Town Council that offered a discounted fee for use of the main hall, as well as Yvonne Wharfe, who manned the front door mostly single-handedly for the event.
The next northern soul charity gig is on Saturday, 26th November at the town hall. It will include a performance from a Frankie Valli tribute artist described by organisers as “the best in the UK”. The event will again raise money for Ruby’s Fund.
Tickets are on sale at Congleton Information Centre in the town hall foyer. Existing tickets from 2020 are still valid and transferable.
