'Gig in the garden' raises much-needed funds for Sutton foodbank

A plea from Mary’s Foodbank in Sutton-in-Ashfield was heard by local musician, Pete Soar, who decided to raise money for the foodbank doing what he does best.

Pete from Kirkby-in-Ashfield usually spends his weekends performing in his band The Mid-Life Crisis, and first decided to dust off his guitar for a singalong from his garden on VE Day, much to the delight of his Sycamore Avenue neighbours who joined in from their gardens.

Seeing how much it was enjoyed by the street, Pete decided to do a second ‘gig in the garden’, asking for donations to the foodbank.

The gig was a great success, with songs such as ‘Let It Be’ entertaining the cul-de-sac, and raised £105.

Pete explained: “I was missing performing with the band, so it made sense to play for the neighbours.

“A neighbour’s relative works at the foodbank and had mentioned how desperate they were for donations, so it seemed an obvious choice.

“I really enjoyed it, and it was a fantastic amount raised.”

Lee Fletcher helps run the foodbank at The Magdalene Centre on Church Avenue and was thrilled when he heard about the gig.

He explained: “We’re seeing so many more families now since coronavirus – people have lost their income and are really struggling.

“£105 will enable us to buy a huge amount of food for our families, so thank you so much to Pete.”

The foodbank has been running for eight years and usually receives donations from Greggs and other food retailers so, with those currently closed, they are now solely reliant on donations from individuals.

After seeing an increase in families needing their help, they have also set up an appointment system to enable social distancing for its users.

They are in very short supply of tinned goods, packet foods, long-life milk, cereals and toiletries.

Lee continued: “We have a donation trolley in Asda in Sutton, and a box in Sainsbury’s in Mansfield, or we can accept donations of food, money or cheques in person at the Magdalene Centre on Fridays between 9am and 12pm.”