Sheffield event raises cash for mental health charity Mind with performances by Two Men Down, Children of the Year and Doncaster's 48ks

The event was organised by Richard Barnett, 54, from Hackenthorpe and took place at the Philadelphia Club, Upperthorpe.

Richard explained how several years ago he was going through a particularly dark time in his life.

He had just lost his mother to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and had also been involved in a bad car accident.

With the help of Sheffield Mind along with his family and friends, Richard managed to come out of that difficult time and decided he wanted to give something back, in the shape of a fundraising event.

“This charity night came about through my own struggles with mental health,” he said.

“A good friend of mine told me to keep your circle small and cut out the negative points, which I did. Also, my family's been a good support, so I went down to Mind.

“Once I got better and got rid of my own struggles, I said I’d like to help them, and this is how the charity night came about.”

Richard decided he wanted to organise a charity event with live band acts, and raffle prizes, donated by local companies.

The event was delayed by Covid for nearly two years, but finally took place on October 31 with performances from local bands.

Two Men Down opened the night followed by Children of the Year with the main act from Doncaster-based band 48ks.

Richard said: “I’m glad the night finally went ahead, I was glad to raise money for a great cause.

“Thanks to the people who attended, and the bands who played especially the 48ks.”

The event raised £1,500 for Sheffield Mind.

Lindsay Doyle-Price from the organisation said: “We are hugely grateful to Rich for all the time and hard work he put into this event.

"It was unfortunate that the original gig had to be cancelled due to Covid restrictions but not even the pandemic could put him off, and Rich was back and working as hard as ever to bring the event together again for October - His determination was inspiring.

“We are touched by the generosity of the local community who came out in such large numbers to support the event. We would like to thank each and every one of them.

“Sheffield Mind relies on the generosity of local people to fund the work we do in the city, as we all know the past year has been a difficult one for us all and the impacts on mental health have been well documented. The money raised by this event will be invested in our local service delivery.”