What a diamond! Tribute to Chas Hodges raises 40 ‘bags of sand’ for WaterAid
‘Rockney’ artist Dave Peacock led a star-studded evening of entertainment in memory of his musical partner Chas Hodges, while helping raise nearly 40 ‘bags of sand’* – otherwise known as £40,000 – for international charity WaterAid.
The event, which took place on 17 December at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, featured artists from across the entertainment world with whom he shared friendship, history, and admiration with.
Eric Clapton, Paul Whitehouse, Joe Brown and Ed Tudor Pole were among the stars paying tribute to Chas Hodges, alongside featured musical contributions from Chas's family.
The event also raised money for Chas’s favourite charity, WaterAid. Proceeds from ticket sales and the sale of a commemorative programme, as well as donations on the night, generated an impressive £39,541 for the charity’s lifesaving work.
Nik Hodges, Chas’s son, said:
"Dave, my mother, sisters, and myself felt truly honoured to be part of the most fantastic tribute to a best friend, husband, and father anyone could wish for. We send our love and thanks to the fans for packing the venue out and showing so much love and emotion for Chas, and of course the amazing performers for giving him the kind of send-off he most definitely would have wanted. He would have also been overjoyed that his favourite charity WaterAid benefitted from the evening".
Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive for WaterAid, said:
“Chas Hodges was a valued long-standing supporter for WaterAid, raising money for us at events and asking for donations in lieu of birthday presents.
“We felt privileged to be part of the special evening, which brought family, friends and fans together in Chas’s memory, and are very grateful to receive the proceeds from the event. This generous donation will help WaterAid transform lives by bringing clean water to some of the world’s poorest communities – a cause we know he was passionate about.”
Donations for WaterAid in Chas’s memory can be made at: https://chas-hodges.muchloved.com.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
For more information, please contact:
Laura Crowley, PR manager, [email protected]
or +44 (0)207 793 4965.
Or call our after-hours press line on +44 (0)7887 521 552 or email pressoffice@wateraid.
WaterAid
WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to clean water and sanitation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 28 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 25.8 million people with clean water and 25.1 million people with decent toilets. For more information, visit www.wateraid.org/uk, follow @WaterAidUK or @WaterAidPress on Twitter, or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wateraid.
-
844 million people in the world – one in nine – do not have clean water close to home.[1]
-
2.3 billion people in the world – almost one in three – do not have a decent toilet of their own.[2]
-
Around 289,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That's more than 800 children a day, or one child every two minutes.[3]
-
Every £1 invested in water and toilets returns an average of £4 in increased productivity.[4]
-
Just £15 can provide one person with clean water.[5]
-
To find out if countries are keeping their promises on water and sanitation, see the online database www.WASHwatch.org
[1] WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and SDG Baselines
[2] WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and SDG Baselines
[3] washwatch.org
[4] World Health organization (2012) Global costs and benefits of drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to reach the MDG target and universal coverage
