Brave Ben inspires another successful fundraising evening.
In February last year, 14 year old Aldridge student Ben Sambrook passed away following years of fighting a brain tumour and having gruelling surgery and treatment. Just ten days before his death, his friends held the BENefit Gig to raise money for the Brain Tumour Charity.
Ben’s wish was for the event to continue, to raise money, but more importantly, to give the young people of Aldridge the opportunity to showcase talent and to have a local, safe night out. The second BENefit, held on Friday 3rd July, attracted audience members and bands from schools all around Aldridge, with ages ranging from 11-18. The gig was a roaring success with parents and grandparents tagging along as well.
The Drive, a local band who have received significant record company interest, headlined the evening. Other bands giving great performances included Sunday 44, Afternoon Identity, Underground Storm, as well as soloist Joe Riley, – winner of Aldridge Does Variety – and Ben’s younger sister Emily Sambrook, who performed a touching tribute to Ben. The MC for the evening was Marc Silk, the voice of Cartoon Network’s Johnny Bravo, who has also featured in Star Wars and many other films and TV programmes.
The main aim of the event was to provide a professional standard platform for young bands and this was achieved through sponsorship which included; Aldridge School Council, Aldridge Youth Fellowship, of which Ben was a member, Cohesion Ltd, Cooke Brothers Ltd, Mobile Dent Removal, NamePlate UK, Stephens Roofing and WallPlan. £1,600 was raised on the night for Brain Tumour Support, a charity chosen by Ben’s family, with donations still coming in.
BENefit hopes to return next year so for any artists, sponsors, helpers interested in taking part next year please contact Cohesion Ltd on 01922 456742.
