Elvis act gives cash to charity
TRIBUTE SINGER LEAVES CHARITY ALL SHOOK UP WITH INCREDIBLE FUNDRAISING PERFORMANCE
An Elvis tribute singer left Alzheimer’s Society staff all shook up this week when he handed them a cheque for more than £1,000.
Fred Davies, a funeral director at Derek Moss Funeral Directors, in Shiney Row, raised the money for the charity after putting on an Elvis tribute performance.
The 61-year-old singer decided to back the charity after losing his mother Anne, a dementia sufferer, five years ago.
He put on his Elvis act at Newbottle Workingmen’s Club, in Houghton, and with the backing of his employers – who are part of the Dignity Caring group – he managed to raise £1,035.
Fred said: “Dementia is a dreadful disease that robs people of their personality – I honestly felt like I lost my mum about three years before she passed away.
“Our company arranges about three fundraising events a year and one day, when I was driving past the Alzheimer’s Society day centre in Pennywell, Sunderland, it struck me that we should raise money for them.”
The grandad-of-seven had been a professional entertainer for 25 years, but hung up his blue suede shoes after his father was killed in a road accident about 15 years ago.
He recalled: “My dad’s death was so unexpected and horrific that I had real difficulty coming to terms with it.
“I just couldn’t bring myself to sing afterwards.
“But I started to sing in care homes and that’s how I got my confidence back.”
Wendy Hunter, services manager for Alzheimer’s Society in Sunderland, said: “The effort Fred and his employers went to was remarkable and I can’t thank them enough.”