A Harrogate-based concert group has raised £500 to support two local organisations from which its members have personally benefitted.
Side by Side is a small concert group of about 10 singers and a pianist based in Harrogate, performing mainly to audiences in church and village halls and residential/care homes in the Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon areas.
After two of the singers were supported by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre (SROMC) and Mesothelioma Support Yorkshire, the group chose to show their gratitude by splitting their donations between the two organisations.
The group was founded over 20 years ago with one or two of the founder members still participating. The singers are all connected with, or have been active members of, other larger operatic and musical groups. Their concerts offer variety of music and humour drawn from personal experiences of productions they’ve been involved with over the years.
Whilst they do not charge a fee, the group receive donations for their performances, which they pass on to various local charities.
Simon Bolton, Mesothelioma Support Group Organiser, and Sarah Grant, Macmillan Patient Information and Health & Wellbeing Manager at SROMC, were delighted to be presented with two cheques for £250 from the group.
Sarah said:
We are incredibly grateful to Side By Side for the money they have raised. Many of our supportive services such as complementary therapies, hair loss support services and group activities are only made possible through the generosity of the donations we receive. Their donation really will make a difference to the care and support we are able to give to our patients and their carers.
For more information about the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre and getting involved with the charity, please visit the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust website: www.hdft.nhs.uk
