Midlands big band wraps up season tomorrow with hospice fundraiser

Midlands Big Band’s performance season is set to culminate with a charity dance in aid of the South Westmeath Hospice in the Radisson Blu Hotel next Monday, December 15.
The audience will be treated to a night of music and dancing, explained band member Frankie McDonald, who was also the trumpet player for Joe Dolan’s band. The band specialises in music from the 1940s Glen Miller era, right up to 70s classics.
“It’s a good mixture of music; there’s something for everyone there,” he said. There will also be a raffle on the night, and spot prizes up for grabs. Proceeds on the night will go to supporting the South Westmeath Hospice, added Frankie.
Local musician Joe Flynn will sing a special set of Christmas songs, explained Frankie. Husband and wife musical team Sammy Rohan and Olwyn O’Sullivan will also perform on the night, as will The Conquerors singer Lorraine McDonald, he added.
The fundraiser follows Midlands Big Band’s very successful season of playing Monday nights in the Radisson Blu Hotel, explained Frankie. The band decided for its last gig of the year to run a dance for the local hospice, he said.
“It’s a charity very dear to everybody,” said Frankie. “Over the years it’s proved a very successful facility for care,” he added.
This dance will be “the start of the Christmas cheer,” promised Frankie. “A good night guaranteed,” he said.
“A big thanks to the management of the Radisson Blu for giving us the ballroom facility,” he said.
The South Westmeath Hospice is a four-bed inpatient palliative care unit, on the grounds of St Vincent’s Hospital Athlone. Services are community based, available seven days a week, and are provided without charge to patients and families. Opened in 2010, the hospice provides care for patients in Athlone, Moate, Glasson, Castledaly, Tang, Ballymore, Ballinahown, Mount Temple, Monksland, South Roscommon and the surrounding areas.
Services provided include ensuite rooms, a family room for overnight stays, short-term respite, alternative therapies and bereavement counselling.
Hospice secretary Marie Murray thanked the people of Athlone and the midlands for their continued generosity, and stressed how important fundraising is to keep the hospice running in the face of austerity cuts. “There are more and more cutbacks every year,” she explained.
The hospice building itself is “beautiful,” said Marie, praising the staff. “They’re not nurses, they’re angels,” she said. The service allows people to “pass away with dignity,” she explained. This is a cause that has “touched everybody,” added Marie.

For more information about the hospice, see http://www.southwestmeathhospice.ie/. Connect with Midlands Big Band on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Midlands-BIG-BAND/128686563882659.