Tadley Singers boost funds for £5m hospital appeal

Pamber Heath hall packed to rafters

TADLEY Singers and a generous audience combined for a seasonal performance to raise funds towards a £5m appeal to build a new cancer treatment centre serving North Hampshire.

Pamber Heath Memorial Hall was packed for the Winter Concert by Tadley Singers in aid of the Ark Cancer Centre charity, which is raising funds towards the cancer treatment centre, the preferred site for which is near to Junction 7 of the M3.

If the site is approved, the centre is scheduled to open at the end of 2018.

Seasonal and other songs were performed by Tadley Singers under the leadership of musical director Dai Ogborn.

Michael Kenning was the accompanist, with two solos performed by guest singer Paul Risoe.

The free-entry concert raised £1,010 from audience donations and a raffle run by Tina Hughes, from the Tadley branch of Barclays.

The total will be boosted by match-funding from Greenham Common Trust and also Barclays, which has pledged to match the £495 raised through the raffle.

Mark Jones, the charity’s director of fundraising and communications, thanked the Tadley Singers and audience for their generous support.

He also updated everyone on the progress of the appeal, and the cancer treatment centre project.

Mark said: “The Tadley Singers have held two concerts in support of Ark Cancer Centre Charity during 2015, and the choir has also provided sponsorship support to a fundraising run by Phil Goss, who is the son of Marian, one of the members.

“The level of support from Tadley Singers, and their generous audiences, has been fantastic, and the sum raised at the Winter Concert was amazing.

“It is even better that the amount raised on the night will be increased thanks to the generous match-funding support of Greenham Common Trust and Barclays.”

The charity is raising £5m towards a cancer treatment centre, to provide a range of support services and complementary therapies, alongside chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.