A Remembrance concert organised by a former army sergeant has raised hundreds of pounds for Broughton House Veteran Care Village in Salford.
Graham Walker, 64, brought together more than 60 performers for the concert at Eccles Parish Church in Salford, which attracted more than 150 people.
Graham, who lives in Monton, Salford, served in the 1st Battalion The King’s Regiment during a 25-year career in the regular army and the Territorial Army. In 1992 he joined Greater Manchester Police and held a number of civilian posts.
Now semi-retired, Graham formed the Eccles Remembrance Event Group, supported by Sheila Peake and Yvonne Yates from the church. The Remembrance concert was the group’s first venture and a grant from The Booth Charities helped it to stage the event.
The bill featured performances by The Honour Choir, the Manchester Regiment 1914-18 Living History Group, the Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force Corps of Drums, international concert pianist Lauryna Sableviciute, Eccles Parish Church organist Lizzie Bell, the 55th Manchester Boys Brigade and Girls Association and Prof Stephen Davismoon.
The evening was led by Rev Jenny Lewis with concert marshal Ian Jolley, who organised the many standards and colours on display. Sgt David Pickles from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regimental Band performed Last Post and Reveille.
Graham said the new event group spun out of his involvement in organising the annual Eccles Remembrance Day service.
“The idea came from watching the Saturday evening Service of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall many years ago,” he said.
The concert proceeds are being divided between Broughton House and Eccles Parish Church.
Graham added:
“It was a great event and we are hopefully going to put on more concerts like this. It was well attended and has raised a considerable amount of money for a fantastic cause in Broughton House, as well as for the parish church.
“A lot of work went into the organisation of the concert to ensure a superb line-up of performers, and everything came together to create a memorable evening for the local community.”
Jack Stephenson, marketing and fundraising executive at Broughton House, said:
“The Remembrance Concert was a great way to honour our fallen heroes. We are incredibly grateful for the hard work and dedication that Graham and his team put in to create this memorable event and for the money they have raised to support veterans in our region.”
