Radio station find their voices for charity
Chesterfield Champion and online radio station, Spire Radio, will be playing themselves on the radio this Christmas – but it’s all for 2 great causes.
Dave Trickett, Community Director at Spire Radio, and one of his oldest friends, Paul Wilbraham have been raising money throughout 2017 in memory of Dave’s daughter, Kimberley, who lost her fight with cancer in 2009 at the age of just 20.
Since then Paul and Dave have been fundraising tirelessly for both Ashgate Hospice and Teenage Cancer Trust, raising over £80,000.
This year they are aiming to raise another £10,000 for the two charities. After running 5 marathons, a grueling 24-hour treadmill run at Tesco in August and holding a Posh Pie and Peas fund raiser in November this year, Paul and Dave are getting into the festive spirit to raise more money by becoming popstars.
The idea to release an original Christmas single to celebrate a mammoth year of fundraising was first mentioned back in April and it has taken trips to Stoke on Trent as well as recording sessions in Chesterfield to make this a reality. Everyone involved in the single has given their time for free with one simple aim – to raise as much money as possible for both Ashgate Hospicecare and Teenage Cancer Trust.
Dave Trickett, Community Director at Spire Radio, said:-
“This year has been amazing and the recent Pie and Peas night at the Proact Stadium in November was a great night- not just for Paul and I but for everyone that has helped and supported us. This isn’t the end, Paul has already booked for the Brighton marathon for next year, while I’m doing the London marathon for the Teenage Cancer Trust.”
Working with Lyn Sheppard at Positive Impulse Ltd, Dave and Paul provide the voices of Santa while many of the Spire Radio presenters have lent their voices to an original Christmas single written by Charlotte Elizabeth and featuring Chesterfield artists, Anthony Parsons, Georgii Bailey (Derbyshire Singer of the Year 2016), Amy J Bannister, Dino Bedrocker and Hattie Drury.
Amy Hartshorn, Director at Spire Radio, said:-
“I began working with the Trickett family around 5 years ago, the whole family are amazing and have such strength having been through such tragedy. Kim was a beautiful, inspirational person and as such has inspired all of us to keep her legacy alive. Spire Radio raised £5,100 for Kim’s memorial fund in early 2016. Kim was cared for by both Teenage Cancer Trust and Ashgate Hospice which is why Dave and Paul have taken on these epic challenges this year to raise such a huge sum of money.
“They are quite simply two of the most amazing men I have had the privilege to meet, and we will continue to support them in all of their future challenges, and it has been brilliant to be involved in the Christmas single and I’d like to thank everyone that has been involved – even if they’ve only sung one line – we couldn’t have done this without you.”
Debs and Denise, the LOL Girls, Ali Murray, Alan Wilkinson, Maisie Saikia from Spire Radio were joined by the Senior Musical Theatre students from Chesterfield Studios as well as Market Hall traders and the Ashgate Hospice Warblers to raise some festive cheer this Christmas.
The single, A Children’s Christmas Time costs 99p and is released as a digital download via Amazon Music and Spotify.
