NEXT Saturday some of Glasgow’s best-loved musicians will gather for a benefit concert for the British Heart Foundation – A Winter Evening With ... Belle and Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson, composer and Teenage Fanclub drummer Francis MacDonald, Uncle Bob’s Richard Luke and energetic cabaret band A New International will perform at the fundraising Christmas gig at the University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel, along with a “special surprise” to be announced.
Held to celebrate the lives of relatives and friends who have lost their lives to heart failure, the event is organised by Alice Black in memory of her mother and Jana Robert in memory of her partner Simon Cottrell, a fondly remembered figure in Scotland’s music scene. Shortly after the songwriter and musician died in 2017, MacDonald paid tribute to Cottrell on his blog, saying he was a “lovely, mellow, fun, sweet-natured person to be around”.
As well as the live music, the evening features festive treats of mulled wine and mince pies as well as a selection of short films.
Robert commented ahead of the event, which will also have a food bank collection point, saying: “In partnership with the University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel, we are celebrating our partner’s, mother’s and friends’ lives, and everyone else who lost their life to heart failure, with a special fundraiser Christmas concert in the beautiful chapel.
“We raise money for the British Heart Foundation, who do incredibly valuable and important work to ensure heart failure becomes a thing of the past. My partner Simon Cottrell was steeped in Glasgow’s music scene, and it only feels right that some of his amazing friends have so kindly agreed to lend their talent to this concert.”
December 15, University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel, 7pm, £13, £9 concs. Tickets: www.bit.ly/winterevetickets
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here