Visitors to the SMILER Facebook page will have seen the very impressive list of star lots posted by Barry Holden the organiser of the North Walsham Live Aid on 19th April
Barry has said Rod would not be on stage – though he still had high hopes for the future.
However the Rod’s now famous guitar which he signed for Barry in front of millions of TV viewers will be appearing and amping up fund-raising power.
The television encounter shown on Surprise Surprise in December highlighted Barry’s tireless work raising £45,000 for mainly children’s charities through the event over the past 30 years. His treat was to meet Rod, who gave him the guitar as an auction lot, and a pledge to appear one day.
Rod’s £1,200 Gibson acoustic guitar will be one of the star lots among 40 in an auction which drives most of the money making.
Other top lots are set to be:
■a 2/3 size guitar signed by Brian May from Queen
■a drum head signed by all three members of Cream – Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce
■a gold disc taken from a recording studio acetate signed by all the Beatles
■a signed Led Zeppelin guitar strap bought last year at the auction and donated back
■sheet music of the Rolling Stones I Wanna be Your Man signed by Bill Wyman
■and, among the non-music, celebrity lots a red wine bottle in the shape of a F1 racing car signed and donated by Sir Stirling Moss.
The auction comes during an event of live class rock music, this year featuring Mr Holden’s own band the Grease Monkeys, Raw Edge, The Burning crows, Pure Passion, and Pout at the Devil, with acoustic numbers by Cruel Folk during changeovers on stage.
The event is on Saturday April 19 from 7pm at North Walsham Community Centre on New Road.
Tickets are available from a range of town shops – the Jolly Roger tattoo parlour, pawn shop, Postles, Music Hut and Showcase Gallery or via email at [email protected].
See the event’s website https://www.northwalshamliveaid.co.uk/ or its Facebook page.
You can also see many of the lots on the SMILER Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/SMILER-Rod-Stewart-Fanclub/351154191340