A St Richard’s Hospice patient shared his love of all thinks rock ‘n roll to raise funds for the charity supporting him through his illness.
Chris Lynch, from Claines, near Worcester, organised the gig which featured six bands and three djs at Worcester auto club in Perdiswell.
The gig was a huge success, raising over £2,000 for the hospice and entertaining around 250 people from all over the country.
Mr Lynch, 54, who is living with pancreatic cancer, is receiving nursing care from a St Richard’s Hospice Nurse Specialist at home.
He said, “I was very poorly the first three months but now things are easier to cope with although the outcome remains the same. As well as nursing care, St Richard’s has also been active with sorting out relevant benefits which help so much. I wanted to help St Richard’s as they are helping me and my family to cope with my situation.”
He added, “I’m so lucky to have such a great circle of friends and family. The rockin’ scene is full of kind-hearted people willing to help me. My rock through all of this awful time has been my wife, Nicki. We got married in April which we brought forward from September once we found out I had cancer.”
Mr Lynch lives with his wife and stepdaughter Holly and his faithful hound Honey. His two sons Louie, 17 and Zak, 13, are also supporting him through his illness.
St Richard’s Community Fundraiser Sarah Patrick said, “We are very grateful to Chris, his family and friends for raising so much money towards our care. This will help us make a real difference caring for more people like Chris in the future.”
St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,500 patients and family members in Worcestershire.
Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 17-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers.
In the In-patient Unit, specialist staff are on hand 24 hours a day to manage patients’ symptoms and where, if appropriate, patients may spend the last few days of life in comfort and dignity. St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it to continue its work.
Photo: Left Chris Lynch with Chris Martin who organised the bands and performed