Henley Living Advent Calendar raises thousands

THE eighth Henley Living Advent Calendar was one of the best ever, says the organiser.

Some venues raised record amounts in the final few days of the charity fund-raising initiative, which ended on Christmas Eve.

Until then, the 23 nights of entertainment had raised £5,081 from bucket collections and the sale of raffle tickets, just £800 short of last year’s record amount.

Organiser Richard Rodway said: “Once again, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, both the quality and variety. We have had some really fantastic performers and there’s been a really good atmosphere every night.

“We’ve also had a terrific audience and venues and everyone has played their part in making it a great event. I only get positive feedback and hopefully everyone feels the same. This truly does bring the community together in a very joyous way.”

Children from the Stagecoach performing arts school sang, danced and rapped outside the Red Fox and Astral Photographic Studios at Henley Enterprise Park, off Greys Road on Wednesday last week.

The performance, watched by about 60 people, was moved indoors after 15 minutes because of heavy rain.

Outside, the youngsters performed a dance routine, followed by a group singing Perfect by Ed Sheeran. This was followed by a rap duo and then a pair of singers who performed Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from A Star Is Born.

Inside they performed a dance medley to songs including I Want You Back and ABC by The Jackson 5 and finished by singing Jingle Bells.

The performance raised £206 for Bishopswood Special School.

Headteacher Janet Kellett thanked the audience and said: “At the moment we’re trying to raise money for outdoor resources.”

On the following night, a barbershop quartet sang to a crowd outside the Bell and Hart surgeries, off York Road.

The Tonyx comprises Louise Johnson, Helen Marlow, Holly Stothard and Ali Kinch.

They opened with Jingle Bells and then sang Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend from the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Olivia Newton-John’s Let Me Be There.

They also performed Silent Night and finished with Mr Santa, a version of The Chordettes’ Mr Sandman with their own festive lyrics, and an encore of Jingle Bells.

The evening raised £186 for the Sue Ryder hospice in Nettlebed.

An 11-piece band accompanied by dancers played to a crowd of 200 people at Henley Town Hall on Friday night.

The Average Wife Band, led by Lucie Henwood, emerged from a door on the stage.

They opened with Walking in a Winter Wonderland followed by Mess Around, originally by Ray Charles, and then Stand by Me by Ben E King.

Richard Miles and his dance partner Amelia Ball took to the dance floor to entertain the crowd before inviting members of the public to join them.

The band also played I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas and Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens.

Mrs Henwood said: “We feel very privileged to be part of the Henley Living Advent Calendar. It’s a fantastic thing and the people of Henley should be very proud that it lives on and raises funds for marvellous charities.”

A sum of £385 was raised for Ronald McDonald House.

Caroline Sinclair, from the charity, told the crowd: “Sadly, for some families, Christmas isn’t quite going to go to plan.

“Some of those families are going to find out some bad news that their baby is sick.

“Some might find out their child has a condition and needs to go to hospital and some children might have an accident and need to be in hospital over Christmas. We provide free accommodation at children’s hospitals across the UK. We’ll make sure they have some food, somewhere to sleep and somewhere to shower while their little one gets better.”

A duo called Tone Deaf performed for an audience of more than 150 people on Saturday evening from an upstairs window overlooking the gardens of Delegate House, off Hart Street.

Roy Featherstone played harmonica and Barry Rosier played electric guitar as they performed Blue Suede Shoes by Elvis Presley, Hi-Heel Sneakers by Tommy Tucker, You’re My Best Friend by Don Williams, by Buddy Holly, and Get Off of My Cloud by the Rolling Stones as well as Jingle Bells and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

When the duo played Jingle Bells, the crowd sang along and at the end of the set they called for an encore and the band obliged with a rendition of Let’s Twist Again by Chubby Checker.

Carolyn Molyneux, of Delegate Office and Conference Services, had organised a selection of refreshments, including mince pies, chocolate, mulled wine, sausage rolls, smoked salmon on toast, Christmas tree-shaped tortillas, spiced cider, orange squash, quiche and canapés.

The event raised £263 for the Henley Regatta for the Disabled.

The event partner was Cannelle Medispa, which provided a lucky dip with prizes including different spa treatments.

On Sunday evening a ukulele band performed in Henley town hall. Pure Fluke played to a crowd of about 100 people after the performance was moved inside from Falaise Square due to the wet weather.

The seven-piece group opened with Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones followed by In Hell I’ll Be in Good Company by The Dead South, Friday I’m in Love by The Cure, Van Morrison’s Moondance and Black Horse and The Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall. They then played Purple Rain by Prince and Galway Girl, before finishing with Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty McColl.

With the crowd shouting for more, the band played Bob Dylan’s Wagon Wheel as an encore.

Mr Rodway said: “Pure Fluke are great. This is their third year in a row and it has almost become a tradition now for them to play on December 23 because you know what you’re going to get — a high-quality, uplifting, fun set which everyone enjoys.”

The evening raised £262 for the Alexander Devine children’s hospice in Maidenhead, which opened earlier this month.

Susie Knowles, the charity’s community fund-raiser said: “Thank you very much to those who have supported us.”