Friends and family are organising a Charity Arts Festival at Southside in Lincoln in memory of James Read, who passed away at the age of just 20.
Southside, formerly St Katherine’s Church and the Priory Centre, has offered to host the Charity Arts Festival in its Grade II listed building for free. Catering will also be provided by Southside, which has a five-star food hygiene rating.
The event on Sunday 9th July will feature live performances from local musicians, theatre performers and an open mic. There will also be a range of stalls selling paintings, cards, baked goods, jewellery, books and more.
James Read was a big part of the art and music community in Lincoln; he was a chorister at Lincoln Cathedral and regularly performed in shows with the Lincoln Amateur Operatic and Dramatics Society (LAODS), who will be performing songs from their new show All Shook Up at the festival.
In 2021 James passed away due to APS Type 1, a rare autoimmune disease. He chose to donate his heart and liver, which saved the lives of two people, and donated his pancreas to diabetes research as he also had type 1 diabetes. James was awarded The Order of St John in recognition of this.
All proceeds from the event will go to the APS Type 1 Foundation to support its crucial research and the help the charity gives to patients around the world.
Mia Gray, a close friend of James and one of the organisers of the event, said: “James was always passionate about art and music, so we felt that this was the perfect way to honour his memory and raise money for such an important charity.
“Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you knew James or not, and we hope it will be a fun day of summer entertainment while celebrating James’ life.”
Tickets to the event are free and can be reserved here, and there will be an option to donate on entry. There are also other ways to get involved with the fundraising such as a raffle and an art auction, which will feature pieces from YellowBelly Art and unique prints by Pure Evil.
Several local businesses are involved, with A Little Bit of Lincolnshire and Rising Café both kindly donating raffle prizes. If you are interested in providing donations for the raffle, having a stall or performing then please contact Mia Gray at miacatherineg@outlook.com.
Image shows James performing.
