A charity concert will be staged in Perth Concert Hall tonight by award-winning vocal quartet Blake with all proceeds going to provide homes fit for heroes.
For the many ex-servicemen and women who return home from duty with life-changing injuries or illnesses, the future can seem daunting.
Home is not the same place that was left behind and, often, veterans need to find new places to live to meet their circumstances.
The Houses for Heroes appeal was launched in 2008 by the Scottish Veterans Garden City Association charity, and tonight’s concert was organised by SVGCA Perth and Crieff branch chairman Bruce Osborne a former captain with The Black Watch – and his wife Sue.
The couple have their daughter Rosanna to thank for securing the popular band, known universally as the classical fab four.
Sue explained, “One of the members, Ollie, is a friend of our daughter’s they met during a gap year while teaching in Africa for five months the year after they left school. They became friends and stayed in touch.
“Since Blake hit the big time, we have gone to several of their concerts. When I said to Rosanna we wanted to try and do a fund-raiser for Houses for Heroes and would Blake ever be interested she just said we should write to Ollie and ask.
“We were absolutely thrilled they agreed, as this has enabled us to highlight the charity and get some publicity for it.”First world warThe SVGCA has been running since the first world war, when it began campaigning for personnel returning from the conflict with little or no prospect of suitable accommodation or employment.
Since then, the principal activity of the association has been to construct and maintain houses for individuals, and their dependants, who have served in the British Armed Forces, Merchant Navy, police or fire service and been partially or totally disabled or discharged through ill health.
A major study three years ago revealed unacceptable waiting times for applicants and a particular shortage of smaller houses suitable for the more seriously disabled. It was calculated that to alleviate this situation there needed to be 60 new houses in Scotland at a cost of around £6 million.
Since the appeal began in 2008, more than £3 million has been raised and, so far, four flats have been built in Motherwell, four bungalows at Penicuik, two bungalows at Airdrie and, in July, 10 flats were opened at Poppy Court in Scone.
The entire proceeds from tonight’s concert will go direct to the appeal fund, which will help to reimburse the Scone project and aid the building of more, much needed accommodation for disabled ex-servicemen and women.Poppy CourtPoppy Court was so named in recognition of its major funder, Poppyscotland. Each flat has two bedrooms with wheelchair access on the ground floor, widened doorways, wet room showers, parking and a share of the gardens.
Plans are now afoot to construct two more bungalows in Airdrie, five in the Highlands and convert four existing properties in Dundee.
Sue went on, “The idea is the concert will reimburse some of the money that went into the Scone project in order to free up funds for the next project. The Houses for Heroes appeal covers the whole of Scotland but this is specifically for the local branch.
“These houses are for people who are vulnerable, for whatever reason and are not able to get accommodation easily.
“For them to know there are homes for which they can apply, that back up is there and they know they’re not going to be left homeless.
“They want to live in local communities but also to know there are people around them in similar circumstances. That’s support in itself.”
The homes are permanent and, for those whose circumstances improve, they have a stable base from which to move on.
Some tenants will be attending tonight’s concert and also a party from the Crieff branch of BLESMA (British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association). Local cadets, who will be handing out programmes and rattling cans, and Black Watch pipers will take part in the show.
Sue continued, “Blake are always very supportive of charities and I think there will be some songs that will be poignant for both soldiers and their families especially those done with the pipes. We want the evening to be an uplifting one, but obviously there is a very serious side to it as well.”
Blake launched their first album in 2007, just six months after reuniting as friends on social networking site Facebook. The following year, they won a Classical Brit Award. The band have become well known for their rich harmonies and mix of classical and pop songs.
They have won themselves a legion of celebrity fans, including Will Smith, Ewan Mcgregor, Kevin Spacey and Dame Shirley Bassey.
The band also support several charities close to their hearts including: Help For Heroes, The British Legion and mental health charity MIND. Blake have performed twice for the Queen at London’s Albert Hall, for the Festival of Remembrance.
Singer Ollie Baines said the band were pleased to help the Houses for Heroes appeal.
“This is something for the local area and, because it’s a smaller event, people will be able to see a bit more of an effect.
“We are all of that age when a lot of our friends or families have someone serving. I’ve had friends who have been killed and one I know very well who was horribly wounded, so it’s pretty pertinent to us, and people of our age.”
Ollie said each band member decided to pick a charity so they could support causes close to their hearts. He chose organisations connected to the military, while Humphrey chose mental health charities, because his sister was a victim of suicide. Jules supports heart charities and Stephen’s family has been affected by cancer.
“I think bands can do quite a lot to support these organisations. We’re not changing the world and we’re not trying to but we’re not sitting idle, either. It’s just something we have done a lot and perhaps the type of music we sing relates to this. We just strike the right chord.
“Our last tour we did totally in aid of the Army Benevolent Fund and at the end of every gig we had soldiers collecting, so this is not a new thing for us.
“We always make a point of saying something, or dedicating a song during a concert and we have done since the start, really.
“Tonight’s event isn’t just a concert, we do a lot of chat and banter and it’s a very amusing evening. It is a real eclectic mix of numbers with pop, classical and hymns there’s all sorts!”