Charnwood Borough Council - Leading in Leicestershire

THE Mayor of Charnwood is making a song and a dance to help boost his annual charity.

Cllr Ken Pacey is bringing back to life the bygone days of popular music hall entertainment to raise funds for his appeal for the East Midlands Air Ambulance.

A variety of songs, sketches and jokes will be performed during the Mayor’s Music Hall Moments, which is taking place on Saturday 31st March at Loughborough Town Hall at 7pm – and tickets are now on sale.

Entertainer Trevor Lee will be reviving some of the famous music hall acts with the aid of original recordings and memorabilia, helped by The JK School of Dance and local entertainment troupe Time & Again.

It is one of two events being staged by Cllr Ken Pacey next month to swell the coffers of the Air Ambulance, which is based at East Midlands Airport Nottingham Leicester Derby.

Tickets are also on sale for an afternoon tea party hosted by Cllr Pacey and the Mayoress, his wife Maureen.

The civic suite at the Town Hall is the venue for the get-together, which takes place on Thursday, 29th March between 3pm and 4.30pm.

Tea, sandwiches and cakes will be served, a raffle will also be held and ladies are being encouraged to wear their best Sunday hats!

So far, the Mayor’s Air Ambulance appeal has raised more than £9,500 and Cllr Pacey is aiming to collect at least £12,000 during his year in office.

That will cover the costs of at least one flight a month for the potentially life-saving charity, which can be in the air in the space of two minutes and reach all parts of the region within 19 minutes.

Cllr Pacey said: “We wanted to do something a bit different to help boost the Air Ambulance appeal and came up with the idea of these two events.

“Music Hall entertainment was extremely popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I guarantee it promises to be a fantastic evening for all the family and I’d advise people to book their tickets quickly as we’re hoping it will be a sell out!

We’d also like to invite people to join the Mayoress and me at our afternoon tea party as well so we can raise as much money as possible for such a worthwhile cause.

“The Air Ambulance is something that you hope you’ll never have to use but it can be the difference between life and death after a serious accident. They receive no funding apart from charity donations and that’s why we want to raise as much cash as possible.”

Tickets for the Mayor’s Music Hall Moments are priced at £9.50 (concessions £8) and are available from the Loughborough Town Hall Box Office by calling (01509) 231 914.

Admission to the afternoon tea party costs £6.50 and tickets can be bought by calling the Mayor’s Office on (01509) 634 602 or emailing mayor@charnwood.gov.uk

Meanwhile, specially-commissioned ties and scarves featuring the Mayor’s insignia have also been produced to help raise cash for the Air Ambulance appeal.

Priced at £10 each, the ties are available in blue or red and the scarves in blue with all the proceeds going to the Mayor’s charity.

To find out more, or purchase a tie or scarf, call the Mayor’s Office on (01509) 634 602 or log on to www.charnwood.gov.ukpages/boroughtiesandscarvesforsale

Alternatively, if anyone would like to donate to the appeal, please make cheques payable to Charnwood Borough Council Mayor’s Appeal and send to The Office of the Mayor, Charnwood Borough Council, Southfield Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 2TX.