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Diana

Stars Come Out for Francis House 10: ‘A fabulous night’ 150 150 mhamer

Stars Come Out for Francis House 10: ‘A fabulous night’

Stars come out for Francis House: my thanks to organiser Jim Nicholas for the last great ‘Gala Charity Evening’ for #francishousechildrenshospice

The 10th edition of Stars Come Out for Francis House in aid of a south Manchester hospice was also the last in the series.

Oldham’s Queen Elizabeth Hall staged Wednesday night’s finale, which was described as a “fabulous night”.

Northern Irish comedian Jimmy Cricket was one of the entertainers on the night, while his friend Jim Nicholas was the compere as usual for the event.

Jimmy said that more than £250,000 has been raised through variety shows like these for Francis House over the years.

He posted on social media: “Hi friends, my thanks to organiser Jim Nicholas for the last great ‘Gala Charity Evening’ for #francishousechildrenshospice with their director (soon to retire), the Reverend #davidireland who accepted the last ‘Gala cheque’ which makes it a total of a quarter of a million raised over many years doing shows.

“Alongside onstage were fellow artistes #nicksalt and #tinasalt, known onstage as ‘Kimika’ with #petersarsfield and guitarist #justindaish 🎭 #liveperformance.”

Christine Pennington commented on Jimmy’s post: “We were there last night – it was brilliant.

“We’ve known Jim for a very long time he always puts his heart and soul into anything he does for charity 😉.

“He’s done his gala shows for a long time. also jimmy cricket you were so funny you are a lovely person as well 😄 always willing to help Jim with his shows.

“It was a fabulous night. These nights will be missed but I’m sure something else will come along.

“Thank you to everyone for their part last night.”

In addition to Jimmy’s unique brand of comedy, there were also live tribute acts.

Peter Sarsfield performed as Frankie Valli and Justin Daish was Hank Marvin.
Also starring were the laughter and music duo, Kimika.
Princess of Wales
Based in Didsbury, Francis House Children’s Hospice cares for children and young adults with life-threatening conditions.
It provides a home from home where families receive professional care, support and friendship.

Sister Aloysius and Fr Thomas Mulheran set up the Rainbow Family Trust in the early 1990s as a charity.

They were concerned about the lack of palliative care for the families of children with a short-life expectancy.

The late Diana, Princess of Wales, officially opened the seven-bedroom Francis House in November 1991.

Francis House: Big congratulations for turning 30! 150 150 mhamer

Francis House: Big congratulations for turning 30!

Big Congratulations to Francis HouseCH who have officially turned 30yrs old pictured here at the official opening is Princess Diana alongside the instigator of the project Sister Aloysius, and me with the original architect and now Director David Ireland #supportyourlocalhospice

Jimmy Cricket has congratulated his favourite charity, Francis House Children’s Hospice, for turning 30 years old.
Francis House reached the memorable milestone on Thursday 25 November.
Jimmy said on social media: “Big Congratulations to @FrancisHouseCH who have officially turned 30 yrs old.
“Pictured here (see photo above) at the official opening is Princess Diana alongside the instigator of the project Sister Aloysius.
“And me with the original architect and now Director David Ireland #supportyourlocalhospice.”
Jimmy has raised more than half-a-million pounds for the south Manchester charity over the years.
That is thanks to countless touring shows and parish hall events across two decades.
Came across this Francis House booklet sent to me by @FrancisHouseCH because of my involvement over the last eighteen years of fundraising, with my good friend Jim Nicholas. The Hospice was first conceived by Sister Aloysius and Fr Mulheran, now run by the architect and Pastor David Ireland.
Based in Didsbury, Francis House cares for children and young adults with life-threatening conditions.
It provides a home from home where families receive professional care, support and friendship.

Sister Aloysius and Fr Thomas Mulheran set up the Rainbow Family Trust in the early 1990s as a charity.

They were concerned about the lack of palliative care for the families of children with a short-life expectancy.

The late Diana, Princess of Wales, officially opened the seven-bedroom Francis House in November 1991.

Francis House replied: And we love this fun pic of you from your 70th fun run and one of Jim on the back cover!

Read a timeline of the history of the hospice’s history here

Also see: Francis House benefits from Rochdale ‘jam’ night

To celebrate its anniversary, the hospice is asking supporters, staff, volunteers and families to share their favourite memory.

Share your memories here

Also read: Francis House: 18 years of fundraising for hospice

Keith Harris: ‘Great showman – we salute you’ 150 150 mhamer

Keith Harris: ‘Great showman – we salute you’

Jimmy Cricket appeared on Keith Harris’s holiday laughter show (with Orville and Cuddles) at the Royal Opera House in the summer of 1982

Jimmy Cricket has been paying tribute in his latest newspaper column to ventriloquist Keith Harris, who died last month.

Keith, who, with his puppet duck Orville, became a regular feature of Saturday night TV in the 1980s, was 67.

He entertained generations of children with his sidekick Orville, a bright green duck who wore a nappy and spoke in a high-pitched voice but couldn’t fly. He also gave life to the popular puppet Cuddles the monkey, whose catchphrase was ‘I hate that duck!’

In addition to fronting The Keith Harris Show on BBC One, he (and Orville) gave private performances at birthday parties for Prince William and his brother Harry, at the request of Diana, Princess of Wales.

His 1982 single, Orville’s Song, was a top five hit, selling more than 400,000 copies.

In his May column for the Preston-based Lancashire Evening News, Jimmy says: “Most ventriloquists that are successful discover one dummy that tickles people’s funny bone, but Keith was blessed with two.

“In 1983, holidaymakers were still visiting our summer resorts en masse and Keith’s show was a sellout from start to finish.

“Keith Harris – you weren’t just a superb ventriloquist, you were a great showman and producer.

“We salute you.”