28/1/2010 - Concert for Cumbria is a sell-out success : Cumbria County Council

A special benefit concert to help the victims of the Cumbria floods and recognise the effort made by some of the rescue organisations has been a sell-out success.

Public tickets for a Concert for Cumbria went on sale on Monday morning (Jan 25th) and within 48 hours all 270 had been sold. More than 100 other tickets had already been snapped up by specially invited selected guests beforehand, meaning there will be a full house of 389 at the concert at Keswick's Theatre by the Lake at 7.30pm on Wednesday February 3rd.

Singer Lesley Garrett and actor Brian Blessed will be appearing alongside the Cumbria Youth Orchestra and leading pianist Andrew West.

A handful of tickets for the post-show reception are still available via the theatre's hotline on 017687 81100.

The concert, which has been organised by Cumbria County Council, is aiming to build on the already considerable fund raising efforts in the aftermath of the November floods. Money raised through ticket sales and charitable donations will be shared 50/50 between the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund and the rescue organisations who helped keep people safe when the floods hit. These include RNLI, Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, Bay Search and Rescue, Red Cross, North West Air Ambulance, International Rescue, RSPCA, The Police Dependants Trust, The Fire Fighters Charity and St John's Ambulance.

Lesley Garrett's performance will allow fans a sneak preview of her full recital due later in the year on Saturday 5th June at Carlisle's Sands Centre. For more details of that performance visit www.thesandscentre.co.uk

or call 01228 625 222.

Cllr Roger Bingham, Chairman of Cumbria County Council, said:

"From the germ of an idea just after the floods to a sell-out concert within two months is quite an achievement. It's testimony to how everyone in the county and further afield has got behind the flood recovery effort. Everybody's looking forward to the big night now, when hopefully even more cash can be raised for deserving causes. A big thank you to the artists donating their time, Theatre by the Lake for hosting the event and all the other businesses and organisations who've got behind the event."