Local talent lights up cathedral for Rosemere's concert by candlelight

SPECIAL guests and fund-raisers turned out to support the Rosemere Cancer Foundation's biggest charity event of the year the Candlelight Concert.
BBC Radio Lancashire's John Gilmore with Lancashire soprano singer Grace O'Malley at the Rosemere Cancer Foundation Candlelight ConcertBBC Radio Lancashire's John Gilmore with Lancashire soprano singer Grace O'Malley at the Rosemere Cancer Foundation Candlelight Concert
BBC Radio Lancashire's John Gilmore with Lancashire soprano singer Grace O'Malley at the Rosemere Cancer Foundation Candlelight Concert

Award-winning Lancashire soprano singer Grace O’Malley headlined the event at Blackburn Cathedral, alongside the Preston Cecilian Choral Society and jazz band of Lancaster’s Ripley St Thomas CE Academy.

The concert, which was part of the Preston-based charity’s month-long Valentine Appeal, helped raise more than £5,000.

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Now in its fourth year, the Candlelight Concert is a major event in the charity’s fund-raising calendar.

members of the junior and senior jazz bands of Ripley St Thomas CE Academy, Lancaster with musical director Mr Don Gillthorpe (back row, far right) and student teacher Dr Phil Allcock (front row, far right) next to CKS Caterings MD Hugh Chatterton and his wife Dorothy, who were joined by the company Director Dawn Cheetham and her husband Mark - CKS sponsored the band's appearance at the  Rosemere Cancer Foundation Candlelight Concert at Blackburn Cathedralmembers of the junior and senior jazz bands of Ripley St Thomas CE Academy, Lancaster with musical director Mr Don Gillthorpe (back row, far right) and student teacher Dr Phil Allcock (front row, far right) next to CKS Caterings MD Hugh Chatterton and his wife Dorothy, who were joined by the company Director Dawn Cheetham and her husband Mark - CKS sponsored the band's appearance at the  Rosemere Cancer Foundation Candlelight Concert at Blackburn Cathedral
members of the junior and senior jazz bands of Ripley St Thomas CE Academy, Lancaster with musical director Mr Don Gillthorpe (back row, far right) and student teacher Dr Phil Allcock (front row, far right) next to CKS Caterings MD Hugh Chatterton and his wife Dorothy, who were joined by the company Director Dawn Cheetham and her husband Mark - CKS sponsored the band's appearance at the Rosemere Cancer Foundation Candlelight Concert at Blackburn Cathedral

It was the second successive year that Grace, whose musical heroine is Blackburn opera singer Kathleen Ferrier, had headlined for Rosemere.

On the evening the 17-year-old included a dedication of Cilla’s You’re My World to her parents as a thank you for their support and a Kathleen Ferrier medley before closing with Time to Say Goodbye, to a standing ovation.

Grace will now concentrate on her A-level exams this summer before taking up a place at London’s Royal College of Music to study opera.

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Also on the bill was the compere, BBC Radio Lancashire’s John Gilmore, the senior and junior jazz bands of Lancaster’s Ripley St Thomas Academy, the Preston Cecilian Choral Society and pianist Kyle Hutchings.

Lancashire Soprano singer Grace O MalleyLancashire Soprano singer Grace O Malley
Lancashire Soprano singer Grace O Malley

The event was sponsored by Bamber Bridge-based construction firm Eric Wright Group

Rosemere’s corporate fund-raising manager, Paula Richardson, said: “We are very grateful to Eric Wright Group for its continued support of our appeal concert.

“Its help makes a tremendous difference to the money the concert is able to raise for us.

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“It means the costs involved in the concert’s staging can all be taken care of so money raised through ticket sales can go directly to the Valentine’s Appeal account to be spent on projects and services to help local cancer patients.”

Preston Cecilian Choral Society at the Rosemere Cancer Foundation Candlelight Concert at Blackburn CathedralPreston Cecilian Choral Society at the Rosemere Cancer Foundation Candlelight Concert at Blackburn Cathedral
Preston Cecilian Choral Society at the Rosemere Cancer Foundation Candlelight Concert at Blackburn Cathedral

This year’s Valentine’s Appeal, which has a £50,000 target, had a “Love to” theme, whereby the charity asked people to show their support by doing something they love to help raise funds.

Rosemere Cancer Foundation fund-raises to bring world class cancer treatment and services to patients throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria via local hospitals and through the specialist Rosemere Cancer Centre at the Royal Preston Hospital.

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