Friendship key to jazzy hospice gig (From Oxford Mail)

Friendship key to jazzy hospice gig

7:00pm Monday 30th January 2012 in Wantage

AN up-and-coming jazz musician and a singer-songwriter will both appear on stage next month in aid of the hospice where they met.

Theo Jackson, from Jericho, and Ally Craig, from Grove, will both perform at Childish Things for Helen & Douglas House hospice.

Mr Jackson, 26, has volunteered his services on piano at the hospice in Magdalen Road, East Oxford, for the past three years.

There he met Mr Craig, a visitor who suffers muscular dystrophy, and the friendship was formed.

Mr Jackson said: “It’s absolutely brilliant playing at the hospice – you’d think it would be really negative but it’s a very uplifting place.

“I met Ally early on when he was staying there and now I always try to time my visits for when he’ll be there too.

“We have really similar tastes. We’re both jazz geeks and so we got talking and started organising some fundraising events.”

The pair have played at an open day for the hospice and at other small gigs.

Mr Jackson said: “Ally is an amazing musician, it’s fascinating to see the chords he can play.

“And now we’ll both be at Childish Things this year.

“We’re playing with our separate bands but we’ll both be there.”

They will perform alongside major names such as Jamie Cullum, KT Tunstall and Eliza Doolittle on Monday, February 27.

Mr Jackson said: “It’s a really exciting time and it’ll be nice to have a specific music night too.”

This is the first time in eight years that organisers decided to host an extra night with a focus on music.

Among those performing on other nights are comedian Jimmy Carr and the Comedy Store Players.

Mr Craig, 25, who will be performing at Childish Things for the seventh time with his band Bug Prentice, said: “It is going to be a great night, especially because it’s the first dedicated music night.

“It means I won’t feel so guilty about coming on and making lots of noise in between all the comedians.

“I’ve known Theo for a few years now. We hit it off straight away because we’ve got the same interest in odd, jazzy things.”

Mr Craig stays in the hospice for up to 20 nights a year and said it was always a happy place to be. He said: “The fantastic thing about it is that it doesn’t feel like a hospice, it’s not a morbid place at all.

“It’s fun to be there and everyone is very cheerful.”

More than £90,000 was raised for the hospice over two nights of Childish Things last year.

rpope@oxfordmail.co.uk l Check oxfordmail.co.uk or helenanddouglas.org.uk for updates on the line-up. For tickets, go to newtheatreoxford.org.uk