CHARITY CLUB NIGHT IS TRIBUTE TO FRIEND
ANEW club night is coming to Newport after the death of one of the organisers spurred on his friends to raise money for charity. The indie/electro evening was being organised by Mark Watkins, Alyson Waite and Ian Bode. However, DJ Mark died suddenly in January.
Despite being devastated by the loss of Mark, Alyson and Ian are “determined to make Port Electro a success”.
Alyson, 51, says she is looking forward to bringing the event to the city.
She said: “My friend Ian and I have long speculated the need for an indie/electro evening in Newport.
“Attending some great retro club nights in Cardiff and other cities around the country convinced us that there is still huge interest out there.
“With another friend, Mark Watkins, on board – who was already a DJ at the Suburban Disco in Cardiff – we decided to launch Port Electro, an alternative night incorporating ’70s, ’80s and ’90s and beyond.”
But during the planning stages of the event, Mark, who was a Cardiff City fan, died suddenly at his home in Caerau, Cardiff.
Alyson said Mark was “instrumental” to the event.
As well as helping with putting on the event, he also designed the artwork for the social media pages.
Alyson said: “He was going to be the one that was guiding us. He was going to be there holding our hands but we’re determined to make a go of this now.
“We were in shock but we’ve really got to do this now. We talked about it for a long time.
“Hopefully he’ll be looking down on us making sure we don’t make any mistakes.”
Port Electro takes place on Friday from 8pm to midnight at the Pen and Wig in Newport. A minimum donation of £2 is required on the door with all proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation.