Stubblemelt

A local band has set up a music festival in Lichfield to raise money for a charity close to its heart.

The Lichfield Rocks Festival has been organised by local rockers Stubblemelt and will see a number of bands and artists take to the stage at The Bowling Green for an all-day event on June 29 to raise money for St Giles Hospice.

Stubblemelt
Stubblemelt

The event will feature family entertainment including face painting, a penalty shootout, barbecue, sweet stalls, a clown, dancers and stilt walkers.

Whittington-based St Giles will benefit from the proceeds after the band saw first hand the work the charity carry out.

Drummer Dave Ashford’s mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 20 years ago, a condition that has worsened over the past five years. However, with help and support from St Giles, she has been able to live with the condition and remain positive.

“St Giles Hospice has helped my mum to manage her condition over the past few years,” Dave said. “They hold a regular exercise class for her, which has helped to keep her moving regularly and enabled her to remain positive.

“She is an amazing woman and the way she has not let multiple sclerosis dictate her life is a real inspiration to me.

“It means such a lot to be able to give something back to St Giles Hospice with Lichfield Rocks.”

Frontman Kyle Perry is also connected to St Giles after his auntie lost her own battle to cancer ten years ago.

“The love and care St Giles gave to my auntie gave us all some extra time with her that we may not have had otherwise,” said Kyle – who is also well known as a striker in Chasetown FC’s historic FA Cup team. “Lichfield Rocks is our way of giving them something back.

“It promises to be a really fun event for the whole family and a way of helping us raise lots of money for a really good cause.”