Roger Daltrey heads rock extravanganza for Evelina Children's Hospital Appeal and Camp Simcha

Howard Lake | 11 May 2006 | Newswire

The amazing RD Crusaders are once again coming together for a good cause. The unique group, brought together by Express and OK! proprietor Richard Desmond, who plays drums, and Roger Daltrey of The Who are staging a special concert at Old Billingsgate Fish Market on 9th May in aid of The Evelina Children’s Hospital Appeal and Camp Simcha.

The RD Crusaders first came together in 2003 and since then have raised over a million pounds for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Norwood Child Care. The 2006 Concert is one of a number of high profile events which together with community fundraising and corporate support will help The Evelina Children’s Hospital Appeal reach its £10 million target to equip the brand new hospital with the very best and most modern medical equipment and facilities.

Roger recalls: We were talking about ways we could raise funds for charity and I said to Richard that I would sing in any band that he put together. He went away and the names he came back with were fantastic”.

The Billingsgate Concert is no exception. The line up is Richard Desmond, Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Lulu, Greg Lake, Russ Ballard, Zoot Money, Simon Townshend, Steve Smith, Nick Newall, Nicky Lambourne, Steve Balsamo and Margot Buchanan.

Richard said: These are the people I have admired from my earliest youth when I played the drums and started out in business with music magazines. Now I am living a dream at the same time as giving something back to charity. Roger and I chose The Evelina Children’s Hospital Appeal as it does such an amazing job supporting the Evelina Children’s Hospital.

The staff at the Evelina Children’s Hospital do a wonderful job there caring for thousands of children. I had my own hospital experience last year, so this is particularly close to my heart. Camp Simcha’s work with children is also vital to our community”.

Further details about The Evelina Children’s Hospital Appeal can be found at www.evelinaappeal.org.uk

1. For more information or pictures of The RD Crusaders performing please call Kate Dawson on 020 7188 1218 or out of hours: 07722 119157 or Charlotte Langley on 020 7188 7711

2. The new Evelina Children’s Hospital, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, was funded by a grant of £50 million from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and £10 million from the NHS. The Evelina is London’s first new children’s hospital for more than 100 years. The 140-bed hospital, which is based on the St Thomas’ Hospital site, brings the majority of Guy’s and St Thomas’ children’s services together under one roof.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity is the largest NHS-related Charity in the UK. It provides funding to support health services in Lambeth and Southwark and to benefit the wider NHS. For more information contact Kate Dawson, Head of Communications as above or visit: www.gsttcharity.org.uk

3. The Evelina Children’s Hospital Appeal, run by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, has been in existence since 1983. It started raising funds for the new hospital in 2003. Its Patron is HRH The Princess Royal. Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, the great nephew of the founder of the original Evelina Children’s Hospital, is President. Stanley Fink, Chief Executive of the Man Group, is Chairman of its Appeal Committee. For more information contact Charlotte Langley as above or visit: www.evelinaappeal.org

4. The Evelina Children’s Hospital serves children in the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark, as well as offering specialist care for children from across south east England and further afield (including internationally). Guy’s and St Thomas’ provides ¾ million patient contacts in acute and specialist hospital services every year. As one of the biggest NHS Trusts in the UK, it employs over 9,000 staff. The Trust also works in partnership with the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Biomedical Sciences of King’s College London and other higher education institutes to deliver high quality education and research. Website: www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk. A full press pack about the Evelina Children’s Hospital, background DVD and photos available on request.

5. Camp Simcha exists in order to improve of life for children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. They provide a range of services to support parents, such as family liaison officers and free hospital transportation. Principally though, they provide unforgettable experiences for the children and their siblings. When serious illness strikes a family, one of the casualties can be the many ways in which regular kids get to enjoy a normal childhood. Camp Simcha exists in order to give them that childhood back through outings, special parties, retreats and the opportunity to attend a fully medically equipped summer camp in the Catskill Mountains USA. All services are provided free of charge thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers. For more information call Hilary Newmark on 07968 398 459 or visit www.campsimcha.org.uk

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.