AN EXCLUSIVE evening with one of the country’s best-loved musicians raised nearly £20,000 for an animal charity.
The Mill at Sonning dinner theatre hosted An Evening with Rick Wakeman on Sunday, May 14, which saw the legendary musician, TV and radio presenter give a fascinating talk on his life and career, dotted with performances on the piano.
Introduced by former Artistic Director of The Mill Peter Egan as ‘the greatest performer he has ever met’, Rick entertained guests with his colourful stories and a stunning tribute to his friend David Bowie, before revealing that it was he who played piano on the Bowie track ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’.
Comedy show band Triple Cream also kept everyone laughing with their musical parodies.
At the end of the performance, an auction and raffle for the charity Animals Asia, of which Mr Egan is the UK Ambassador, was held, where an astonishing £11,800 was raised. A further £8,000 was raised through ticket sales.
Animals Asia works to put an end to the abuse of bears, cats and dogs in China and Vietnam by working with zoos, safari parks and the government to improve animal management and increase awareness of the welfare needs of captive animals.
For more information visit www.animalsasia.org.