Rivals raise voices to boost new care unit

Apr 9 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

BUDDING singers yesterday took to the stage for the semi-final of an X Factor-style competition to raise £1.9m for a new teenage cancer care unit.

Twenty-four finalists have been picked from 3,000 entries to the Music Means Life competition to raise the cash for a unit at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary designed for teenage sufferers of cancer. And yesterday they put their skills to the test when they performed on a stage in front of an audience in the MetroCentre.

Mark Balfour, 40, whose 16-year-old son Michael was diagnosed with a rare form of nasal cancer two years ago, was at the shopping centre to support the show.

Michael went through radiotherapy and chemotherapy at the RVI after discovering a tumour behind his nose but has been in remission for more than a year.

And he is now acting as a judge for the competition.

His father, of Mitford Road, South Shields, said: “When you hear your child is diagnosed with cancer it changes your whole world.

“It puts things into perspective to find out your son is going through that.

“But this sort of event is great to raise the profile and raise needed funds for the unit to be built.

“We need as much support as we can get.”

Michael was not at the event yesterday, but he will be on the panel that chooses the finalists, alongside Newcastle Falcons player Tom May, Newcastle-born pop stars Journey South and Pop Idol contestant Zoe Birkett.

And among those competing for a spot in the final stage is 17-year-old student Amber Glover, of Southwick, near Sunderland. She said: “I would love to do this as a career. There are so many people here and it’s so interesting to see all the others. I was pretty nervous though.”

Also performing was 15-year-old Georgia Overton, a student at Gosforth High School in Newcastle.

She said: “I would love to perform all the time. I’m not that bothered about being a celebrity, but I would love to do this in the future.

“It’s nice to know that you are also helping people. I wasn’t really nervous though, more excited.” Gary Thompson, the founder of Music Means Life, said: “In the care units now, teenagers are in the same units as other people.

“But they want to be able to play their music and shout and do what they want.

“This care unit will give them the chance to do that sort of thing.”