SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity and Fighting With Pride will be beneficiaries of a concert taking place on Saturday 29 June – Armed Forces Day 2024 – in London.
Presented by Massed Bands entertainment, BIG Summer Jazz – featuring the English Jazz Orchestra – will be hosted at St Paul’s Church, Lorrimore Square in Newington.
Interestingly, the church has its own wartime story as the original Gothic Revival building of the 1850s was destroyed in The Blitz, and rebuilt only in 1959. The Grade II listed building contains works by artists Freda Skinner and George Holtom, the latter the designer of the nuclear disarmament logo.
SSAFA provides support to the Armed Forces community, serving or retired, regulars and reserves – and their families – regardless of rank or regiment, ship or squadron. Fighting With Pride is a new charity, and one formed to support LGBT+ Veterans, serving personnel and their families, particularly those who were affected by the “gay ban”, which was lifted in January 2000.
Explaining why these charities were chosen, and detailing what musical delights to expect, Chris Smith – the director of Massed Bands Entertainment – said:
“As a serving member of His Majesty’s Armed Forces, I believe strongly in supporting the work of these fantastic charities, I have known serval people who have struggled through life either during service or after leaving the Armed Forces and could benefit from the support available from SSAFA and Fighting With Pride.
“So, come and experience the power and the joy of English Jazz Orchestra, full-scale swing band, playing classics, songs, and instrumentals from the golden age of big band jazz – Basie, Sinatra, Ella, Miller and more – and we’ll get your feet tapping and have you whistling all the way home and into next week while you’re helping two amazing charities.”
Doors open at 6.30pm on June 29 for a 7.30pm start. Tickets are £15 and can be bought by searching on ticketsource.co.uk for “BIG Summer Jazz London”.
The venue’s address is St Paul’s Church, Lorrimore Square, Newington, London, SE17 3QU.
