RADIO STARS STRENGTHEN CHARITY LINKS
TWO OF Radio 2's top broadcasters have signed up for this year's national concert tour by the Bands of the Royal Air Force, staged in support of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust.
The Trust's trading company, based in Fairford, Gloucestershire, has signed up Sarah Kennedy and Alan 'the Voice of the Balls' Dedicoat as comperes for this year's national concert tour by the Bands of the Royal Air Force.
Sarah will be staying up late after presenting her early-morning show, as compere for the concert in London on October 30, while Alan will be returning to the concert tour after making his debut last year, introducing shows at Manchester, Harrogate, Newcastle, Norwich, Basingstoke and Southend.
Ian Lavender, best known as Private Pike in Dad's Army, will compere the remaining concerts, including an inaugural trip to Bristol's Colston Hall on November 18.
The concerts are staged in support of the Trust, which provides financial support to a wide variety of RAF-related projects and initiatives within the RAF family.
Concert Tour Manager Philippa Hayday-Brown said: "The Trust's trading company, which organises the Royal International Air Tattoo, has been a big supporter of BBC Radio Two's Children In Need Appeal and through this has established strong links with the radio station. Sarah Kennedy visited the Air Tattoo in 2007 and Sir Terry Wogan attended last year. Broadcaster Alan Dedicoat is a very good supporter and has attended for a number of years. Involving Alan and Sarah in the company's forthcoming concert tour seemed perfectly natural and we're delighted both have agreed to join us.
"Last year's Tour proved the most successful to date, and we hope that the presence of Sarah and Alan, along with the top-class musicians of the RAF Bands, will help us build on that success."
The concerts feature the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, based at RAF Uxbridge, the Band of the Royal Air Force College and the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment, both of which are based at RAF Cranwell. They're augmented by the big-band sound of the RAF Squadronaires plus the Salon Orchestra, a quintet of musicians who provide a stringed element to the performance.
