'Gig of a Lifetime' to raise money for terminally ill man at Scarborough Spa this weekend

Over 40 artists and performers are set to descend on the Ocean Room at the iconic Scarborough venue, to celebrate and raise money for a local musician, Tom Davenport, and his young family.

The fundraising event, which starts at 3pm and runs until late in the evening, will feature a huge mix of friends, family, fellow musicians, and ex-students, playing a wide variety of music and styles from performance poetry to hard rock and everything in between.

After being an integral part of the Scarborough music scene for longer than he’d probably care to admit, Tom was diagnosed with a rare form of bile duct cancer late last year.

Sadly, doctors have not been able to say exactly what the terminal diagnosis means for him, only that long-term survival rates are slim.

Naturally, friends and family were shocked when the news was revealed, and have been desperately seeking ways to help look after Tom and his family ever since.

Tom has remained amazingly optimistic through the entire experience and handled the aggressive treatment like the superstar that he is.

However, those around him are all hyper aware that there’s going to be a time when this level of energy will fade and unfortunately Tom won't be able to do all that he wants to with his partner Lucy and seven year old son Joss.

This realisation triggered everyone into rallying round and focusing on making sure Tom, Lucy and Joss can do everything possible and make as many memories as they can, while Tom’s still got the energy.

And when your circle is made up of musicians, artists, performers and promoters, then it’s just kind of inevitable that at some point there’s going to be a massive party!

The Gig of a Lifetime has been months in the planning.

Scarborough Spa, the venue for so many of Tom's Student Showcases, offered their space for free, something that immediately set the tone.

On the day there’ll be food available courtesy of Aldred’s Wood-Fired Pizza and the music will be literally non-stop, with a different act playing every 10-20 minutes; something there for everyone!

Organisers are hoping to pack out the venue, with all the funds raised going directly to Tom and his family.

With over 400 people already down to attend, it really is looking to be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Tickets for the event are available online via the website (https://bit.ly/tomdav-goal), in person from Mojos Music Café on Victoria Road (Scarborough) or Record Revivals on Northway (Scarborough), or on the door - if there’s any left!

More details can be found on the Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/849849982770750

Donations can be made directly via the JustGiving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/tomdavenport4eva