Comedian raises over £6k for local charity

Comedian, writer and actor Dave Spikey has donated an entire night’s pay to a charity based at Royal Preston Hospital.

The sell-out show at Burnley Mechanics Theatre raised more than £6000 for Rosemere Cancer Foundation.

Spikey, who played Jerry St Clair in Phoenix Nights co-written with Peter Kay, says the cause is close to his heart after his brother received treatment there, following earlier care at The Christie.

Dave explained: “My fantastic kid brother Peter was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when he was 20 and given little chance of survival but after aggressive chemo and radiotherapy at The Christie, he pulled through. He was in remission for over 25 years against all the odds. This gave him time to marry and raise two lovely children.

“Sadly, he relapsed with liver cancer, most likely triggered by his aggressive chemotherapy, and attended Rosemere Cancer Centre for scans and treatment. I brought him on several occasions because he could no longer drive. He died in 2008 just short of his 50th birthday.”

Dave continued: “In recent years I visited a fan, Emma, who was undergoing chemo there and contacted me to ask if I would join her during a session and cheer her up a bit! Emma was a beautiful, vivacious, brave lady with a young family who on the day, turned the tables on me and cheered me up considerably. It was an immense sadness when I learned that she didn’t make it.”

Dave added: “More recently, I have again sat in a chemo session with one of my very best friends ever and once again, was hugely impressed by the upbeat staff, who generate such a welcoming environment and bring smiles to every face despite the underlying worry and sadness of their situations. That is all in addition to the wonderful work they do in contributing to research and clinical trials.”