Great British R&B Festival helps raise funds for Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Music lovers attending the 2022 Great British R&B Festival in Colne will not only be enjoying a sensational weekend of live music over the August Bank Holiday weekend, but also giving something back to an extremely worthy cause.

The festival’s artistic director, Peter Barton, is on a mission to raise £1.6m to fund an MRI scanner for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital through his World United in Music project. Peter’s Grandson, Ashton, was rushed to Alder Hey just a day after being born and had to undergo a series of operations which ultimately saved his life.

Peter has already raised a large amount of money for the hospital, donating £8,000 to purchase a neo-natal cot following fundraising gigs at his bar in Barnoldswick, McCullough’s Irish bar which he owns with wife Julie, including an extra special event with The Osmonds.

Mr Barton said: “I’m not taking a penny out of the Great British R&B Festival. A lot of the bands are also doing this gig much cheaper, and once they have been paid, any money that is left over doesn’t go to me or to anyone else, the profit from what I achieve goes towards helping save children’s lives.

“It means a lot to me because of what happened to my Grandson. When you go into Alder Hey hospital, there was a thing on the wall which I always remember seeing and it said miracles do happen, so hopefully with the help of music lovers, not only are they going to get a lot for their money in music terms, but they get to give something back as well.”

A star-studded line-up of over 50 artists and bands has already been announced for the three-day event in Colne with the likes of Lindisfarne, Dr Feelgood, FM and The Animals set to perform across two stunning venues. Individual Day and Full Festival tickets can be purchased here: https://www.colneblueslineup.com/get-tickets

Alongside fundraising efforts at the festival, Peter is also set to launch a double album before Christmas including some great names from the music world.

Mr Barton commented: “When lockdown hit, I couldn’t raise money and it was freaking me out. Back in the day I used to write songs for people, so I went back into the studio, started writing again, loads of songs came out and I started getting people like Steve Cropper, Bob Geldof and Francis Rossi involved.

“There’s more than 100 people playing on the albums, and all proceeds will go towards raising funds for the MRI scanner.”

The Great British R&B Festival takes place from 26th-28th August in Colne, Lancashire. You can learn more about the event and check out the full line-up here: https://www.colneblueslineup.com/. Camping passes are also available, while Colne Town Council, organisers of the event, have launched a full programme of family fun activities including a giant fire breathing LED robot, bouncy Blues Brother stilt walkers, buskers and a fantastic range of food vendors who will be trading on the streets of Colne.