Rock and Roll the night away in aid of the hospice

On Friday 19th November 2021, Hospice Supporter Danny Wilson will be hosting a fantastic evening of entertainment at Mill Hill Working Men’s Club all in aid of East Lancashire Hospice.

Joining him will be local bands Monkey Men, Smiley and Reeling n Rocking, each of whom are giving their time on a voluntary basis.  The evening is set to be a hit with tickets priced at £10 which includes supper!

Danny who is originally from Belfast, but has been living in Darwen since 1992, has been supporting East Lancashire Hospice for a number of years now after his wife Elaine was cared for at the hospice in 2016.  Danny describes how after receiving a cancer diagnosis, Elaine spent some time in hospital where staff worked to manage her pain relief, however this was only possible when she was later admitted to East Lancashire Hospice where things seemed to improve after 24 hours.

He goes on to say “When Elaine was receiving treatment at the hospice, staff cared for us as a family.  We were treated as complete individuals and felt as though we were the only ones on the Inpatient Unit at the time, even though of course we were not.  I will never forget how we were all made to feel at the most challenging time in our lives.  Our experience overall was quite unbelievable and so good under very difficult circumstances”.

“Often when Elaine was asleep, the nurses would take the time to sit and listen to what I had to say which I found to be a huge source of comfort and relief.  I was able to talk about what I was going through and it helped so much that someone was prepared to sit down with me who wasn’t connected to us as a family in any way, but also someone who understood the trauma I was experiencing at the time.”

Danny adds, “In fact it was due to my experience at East Lancashire Hospice, that I decided to train to become a Bereavement Counsellor and now fully qualified, I am able to support others who are also experiencing a loss much like my own”. 

Danny explains “It occurred to me that East Lancashire Hospice have not been able to Fundraise as normal these past 18 months and so I thought to myself, what can I do to help?  I am involved with a band and so I contacted the other guys that I know and we went from there……”

Katie Elliott – Fundraising and Marketing Lead at East Lancashire Hospice added “We are incredibly grateful to Danny and all the bands involved in the Band Night which is taking place at Mill Hill Working Men’s Club on Friday 19th November.  It costs over £3.9 per annum to run the hospice and in the region of two thirds of this is generated by people like Danny in our local community, without whom, it would not be possible for us to provide care to the people of Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley.  The event is set to be a brilliant evening out with all proceeds going directly towards the provision of patient care and we would encourage anyone interested in live music to buy a ticket and support their local hospice”.  

If you would like to buy a ticket and enjoy what is set to be a great night out and all for a good cause, these are available from both Merton House, East Lancashire Hospice, Park Lee Road, Blackburn, BB2 3NY Tel (01254) 287014 or Mill Hill Working Man’s Club, Moorgate Street, Blackburn, BB2 4EZ Tel (01254) 53760.  Alternatively you can also contact Danny Wilson directly on 07778 222 448.