Nantwich N’Ukes ukulele group joined in a busking spectacular in the Chester sunshine, writes Amanda Malam.
And the group also enjoyed a memorable bus journey home after a day of fund-raising.
“The N’Ukes arrived in Chester with a plan of running through our hastily put together set list to give us a bit of extra confidence and iron out any last minute issues.
“So we set up in the centre and ran through our full set in about 40 minutes. Loads of support and crowds and some much welcomed donations for the charity bucket!
“We moved on to the Groves Bandstand in the wonderful location on the banks of the Dee in Chester.
“The Chester Ukulele Players treated the crowds with a full hour set and a full compliment of players – wow, what a massive turnout from their club – there must have been 30 or 40 players on stage running through their songs, complete with penny whistles and bass on certain songs. They really got the crowd going and it proved a great start to proceedings.
“Nerves started showing among the group (including those who said “I don’t get nervous on stage”!) as our time slot approached.
“A wonderful intro from Dave at Chester and we ran into our 40 minute set. I can honestly say the N’Ukes gave it their all and despite the odd mistake, we thoroughly enjoyed our gig!
“Leaving the stage to very kind words from Dave, we then relaxed and sat in wonderment watching Ken Middleton take to the stage alone to perform some wonderful blues and rags, picked on his uke.
“Afterwards Ken was typically humble about his performance, but as far as this viewer was concerned, it was clear that he blew the crowd away with his skills.
“The day ended with another set from a selection from the Chester Ukulele Players – and a feeling that a significant amount of money had been raised for the Miles Of Smiles charity!
“Nantwich N’Ukes took the bus back home to town and had a surreal experience – a full bus, packed with teenagers plus a few N’Ukes.
“We boarded the bus and a bunch of kids moved by us to grab the back seat. We warned them we were in the mood to play ukulele, much to our surprise they said “cool! we like ukes!” and what followed was a bizarre one hour bus ride filled with ukulele playing and clapping from the other passengers.
“Great weekend, making music with friends, and making new friends too. Thanks again to Chester for welcoming us and we hope to see you soon.”
The full total ended up being over £1500 for Charity!