Burrough on the Hill was privileged to host an outstanding performance of Country, Folk, and Pop songs sung by The Athenrye Duo last Friday. The Church of St Mary the Virgin formed an atmospheric venue for local musicians Jackie Smith and Anton Mardel-Ferreira, who formed the Duo a year ago and are rapidly making a name for themselves. The fully live music had Jackie as lead singer with Anton on backing vocals whilst also accompanying on guitar and harmonica.
On a warm summer’s evening the audience were treated to beautiful renditions of classic songs such as ‘Catch The Wind’ by Donovan, ‘The Climb’ by Miley Cyrus, and of course ‘Fields of Athenry’ by The Dubliners. Rich sound floated through the acoustics of the stone church building, which was filled with glorious light from the setting sun as it shone through the colourful Victorian stained glass windows. At the end of the performance an encore was acknowledged by a standing ovation and the audience were reluctant to leave.
Jackie and Anton generously gave their time and their skill for free, in order to raise money for The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT), a charity which holds particular significance for them: they have recently seen at first hand the help which CHECT has provided to a young girl called Mabel, who lives in a nearby Leicestershire village and is the grand daughter of friends of theirs. CHECT is dedicated to supporting children, families and adults affected by Retinoblastoma, which is a rare form of eye cancer that typically affects children under six, the impacts of which can last a lifetime. Anton spoke movingly inbetween numbers about how important this support had been for Mabel and her family, and how humbling it is to see young children bravely and even cheerfully coping with their condition.
A proportion of donations and profits at the concert also went towards the upkeep of the historic venue, The Church of St Mary the Virgin. Annual running costs for an ancient building such as this are currently around £9,000 per annum, which has to be funded by local parishioners from donations and events. On top of this, the building urgently needs repair to the soft sandstone of the tower, which will cost in the region of £20,000, a huge sum which also has to be met through fundraising and grants.
The generosity of the concert audience raised a total sum in excess of £800 which will be put to good use by the charity and will also help keep the church open both for worship and for community purposes such as this wonderful concert.