Shropshire Star

Charity concert to be held at Wrekin College

A love of music shared by a father and son before tragedy struck has inspired a special concert at a Shropshire school.

Published
Myles Newman pictured with his late father Steve and mother Sue Newman

Myles Newman was a talented music award holder at Wrekin College when his father Steve, a Shropshire Star and Express & Star employee, died after battling leukaemia.

The family launched the Steve Newman Blue Sky Foundation charity following his death in November 2017.

Now the school wants to support the charity at the Blue Sky Singing event on Friday at 7.30pm.

Simon Platford, director of music at Wrekin, said Steve, who worked for Midland News Association for nearly 30 years, was a keen supporter of music at the school and never missed an opportunity to hear Myles perform.

“His illness and subsequent death was of course tragic but through it all the family have looked for good to come from their sad loss,” Mr Platford said.

“During his father's illness, Myles successfully campaigned to make Leukaemia Research the House Charity of Bayley house and then to hear that the family had set up the Blue Sky Foundation to help others was something, as a department, we felt we would love to support.”

The concert features Wrekin College Chapel Choir, Wrekin College Community Choir and The Old Hall Chapel Choir.

Wonderful

Mr Platford said: “The repertoire for the evening will be a real mix of sacred and secular with a second half of Vivaldi's Gloria, sung in English for a change. Even the most experienced community choir members have never sung it in English so that should add something quite wonderful to the event.”

Myles is now a pupil at British and Irish Modern Music Institute in Birmingham and will be returning to the school with 12 members of his family to attend the concert.

Tickets cost £6 and include refreshments, and all profits from the event will be going to the Steve Newman Blue Sky Foundation.

For tickets visit the ticketsource website

Wrekin College Chapel will also be the venue for a concert by the Shrewsbury Light Orchestra in aid of the Alzheimer’s Research UK Shropshire Fundraising Group on April 5.

This event will feature guest vocalist Dale Kynaston and tickets are £8.50 per adult, double tickets at £15 and £5 for students.