Charity gig raises £15k

Hundreds of people attended the final We’ll Walk This Road Together concert, which raised at least £15,000 for Pancreatic Cancer Scotland.

More than 800 tickets were sold, meaning that DMI Cancer Trust has now raised more than £70,000 for various charities through its gigs.

The trust was set up by Neil ‘Nonny’ MacInnes, before the former owner of Coasters Bar died in March 2017 after a battle with cancer. However, Nonny left behind a legacy that will help others defeat the dreaded disease. And this year his widow, Karen, decided to have one last concert.

Speaking in 2016, Nonny said: ‘The vibe at the concert is brilliant. Once the concert is over, Oban is buzzing for weeks afterwards.’ And given the energy and enthusiasm that was on display on Saturday, that will certainly be the case for the next few weeks.

Skipinnish were the first to perform at the Corran Halls and, at the end of their set, the band dedicated their most recent song, Alive, to Nonny.

Angus MacPhail from the band said: ‘Let’s not forget who started all this. He is a man who is very much alive in us.’

As well as Skipinnish, the gig featured Mánran, Skerryvore and Oban High School Pipe Band.

Karen said the night surpassed her expectations. She said: ‘We have raised a guaranteed £15,000 – that was the target. It’s absolutely fantastic.’

Karen said she was getting ‘a wee bit stressed’ before the event with slow ticket sales. But, in the end, in true Oban fashion, there was a surge of sales and it was a sell-out.

‘There were 800 tickets sold,’ Karen added. ‘Apart from a few under-agers, the crowd were amazing.’ She previously

added: ‘It has been a challenging process because Nonny and I did it as a team the last few times. It’s a massive thing to organise and it’s been quite emotional as well.’

While this is ‘100 per cent’ the last We’ll Walk This Road Together concert, Karen said she will continue with her charity work.

As well as ticket sales, there was also a raffle on the night which raised £3,000 for Pancreatic Cancer Scotland.

17_T39_DMIConcert02 Oban High School Pipe Band also performed on the night.

17_T39_DMIConcert03 Karen, Laura, and Seonaid selling Skerryvore merchandise.

Kirsty, Karen, and Jenna MacInnes. 17_T39_DMIConcert04

17_T39_DMIConcert01 Skipinnish dedicated their song Alive to the late Nonny MacInnes.

17_T39_DMIConcert07 Jenna MacInnes, Ally McKerracher and Kirsty MacInnes.