9 hours ago
Liverpool's top musicians celebrate saving Zoe's Place hospice
Some of Liverpool's biggest names in music are to perform a gig marking the way the city has rallied to save baby hospice Zoe's than £7m has been raised since October when it was feared the hospice would be forced to close, and organisers said the gig on 17 July at the M&S Arena Liverpool was a celebration of that massive fundraising effort and the "empathy" shown by the artists from Jamie Webster to The Farm will perform, backed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic event will also feature a big reveal of the new name chosen for the hospice following a city-wide consultation.
Fundraiser Gina Earnshaw said: "When the news broke saving the baby hospice we wanted to celebrate becoming an independent charity - at the moment we are Liverpool Zoe's Place but we have to change the name."We called on the entire community to put their names forward and we will reveal that at the celebration concert."She recalled how, after the dark days of October, there had been a massive turnaround."It was extraordinary to be part of it - one of most overwhelming times of my life but standing where we are now I don't regret a single thing happening because it has put us in a much better position," she said."I don't think there is a community like it which could show such empathy."
The musicians lined up include legends such as former Echo and The Bunnymen front man Ian McCulloch, acts such as The Zutons, Ian Prowse and The Lightning Webster said he had no hesitation in supporting the hospice which is minutes from his home."It's a celebration but also a call to everyone to remember what we've done," he said.
Pete Hooton, frontman of The Farm, added that all of the bands were looking forward to playing with "the Phil", referring to the orchestra. He said: "It's a great chance to play with them again which is what all the Liverpool groups want to do - we did a gig with them years ago to save the roof of the Philharmonic Hall."
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