Morecambe student’s fundraising concert in memory of gran

Annie Wood is organising a concert at Lancaster Brewery to raise funds for the hospice after her gran died there. Annie and Brewery Tap Manager Chris Duffy with tickets and flyers for the concert. PIC BY ROB LOCK 27-7-2015

Annie hopes to raise £10,000 during a year of fundraising to support St John’s Hospice, where her gran Rita Townley, from Morecambe, passed away four years ago at the age of 61.

She had been diagnosed with lung cancer just seven-and-a-half weeks earlier.

Annie, who was only 17 when her gran died, said: “It was just a massive shock, and at the time I was absolutely distraught.”

Annie Wood is marking her 21st Birthday by doing 21 events to raise money for St John's Hospice who cared for her gran.

Last year Annie drew up a list of 21 fundraising ideas – to mark reaching her 21st birthday in December – which she hopes will raise the cash for the hospice.

Teacher training student Annie said: “It’s an amazing place and they helped me so much. I don’t know what I would have done without them.

“Since my gran passed away I knew I wanted to do something for the hospice.”

The L.A. ROCKS concert is to be held on September 25 at Lancaster Brewery, who are proudly sponsoring and supporting the event.

On the bill are local acts Hannah Malin, Lyndsey Brown, PNUK, Trio and The Lancaster Bombers.

Doors open at 5.45pm, with live music until 11pm.

Tickets are now available from the brewery and from the hospice, priced at £10 each.

The first 35 tickets sold by the brewery include a free pint of real ale.

Annie said: “The brewery has been fantastic. It has been a lot of work organising different events but it’s been great because I have met so many new people.

“It’s fascinating to see how many local people have a connection with the hospice.

“It’s always nice to share your experiences with other people who have been through it. It’s really eye-opening.

“Everything I have done so far has been greatly supported. It’s amazing how ell things have taken off.

“I have tried to make my 21 things as varied as possible so that people can get involved in different things.

Annie has so far raised almost £1,400 towards her target. She is planning more events including a skydive on August 6 and a car wash at Westgate Fire Station on August 30.

Morecambe Car Club have also helped arrange a car treasure hunt, which takes place from The Royal at Bolton-le-Sands tomorrow, Wednesday July 29, from 7pm.

Simply turn up and pay £7 to be given a map to help you find all the clues to a prize.

Annie’s Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/Annie-Wood/ allows people to contribute to her cause throughout all her challenges.

And Annie’s year can be followed at Facebook.com/annie21things.