A BRIDGWATER family have raised almost £6,000 for Musgrove Park Hospital's Beacon Centre with a rocking charity concert.

Andy Meek, his wife Linda, and father-in-law Malcolm Carr enlisted the support of local musicians for this year's Beacon of Hope Concert held in Bridgwater's Blake Hall.

The trio wanted to raise money for the hospital's specialist cancer centre in memory of Linda's mum Elaine Carr.

“The staff at the Beacon Centre were wonderful and gave Elaine the best possible care in her final weeks as she battled against cancer, the care and support they also provided for Malcolm was amazing as he spent day and night with Elaine” said Andy.

“We wanted to do something in her memory and to thank the staff for their incredible help and support during what was a really difficult time for us as a family,” he said.

Andy, Linda and Malcolm raised £1,000 simply through donations from friends, while well-wishers and local businesses donated prizes for a raffle and more than 500 people turned out to support their concert.

The event featured local groups Rambling On, Two Tone and Wally & Mel, while Malcolm provided music for the night.

Retired Hinkley Point B worker George Hosey also came back to perform and opened the night after a 12-year absence from the stage.

The sound and lighting crews gave up their time for free, while staff at the Blake Hall donated their time, meaning all the money raised went to the centre.

“Some of the nurses from the Beacon Centre came along to the concert and it was great to have them there as our guests and to be able to raise £5,800 in memory of my dear mum Elaine,” said Linda.

Andy, Linda and Malcolm paid a visit to the centre after the concert to thank staff for their support and to present them with a cheque from the proceeds of the event.

Andy works in the performance improvement department at Hinkley Point B, while Linda works at Prospects Services in Taunton.

Malcolm is retired but works part time as a DJ in Bridgwater and can be heard on community radio station Sedgemoor FM on a Tuesday nights as a volunteer DJ.