Enterprising young entertainer Shea Ferron has arranged the last in a series of virtual concerts to raise money for good causes.
And the one he has chosen to benefit from his final
Stage to Sofa show is Hafal, the Welsh
mental health charity.
At just 18, Shea has
been rapidly building up a portfolio of acting and singing appearances in the
area for a number of years.
He has joined the cast of numerous shows, with
Llangollen Operatic Society, its junior section the Young ‘Uns, and the Collen
Players music hall group, winning a number of amateur stage awards into the
bargain.
There have also been numerous solo performances in
St Collen’s Church and his own church in Ruabon.
But Shea has really came into his own during the
pandemic by singing his way through a series of self-arranged open-air gigs to
raise thousands of pounds for good causes.
His finale concert, at Llangollen Town Hall on
Saturday, June 26, will be a hybrid affair with a small, invited live audience
and people also able to watch online on a link still being arranged.
Shea said: “There’s been five
months of planning involved working closely with ORB Sound and Lighting, who
are involved with the tech side of the concert, and also working closely with Llangollen Town Council and the
Town Hall team to make sure we keep within the current Covid-19 guidelines.
“The reason for the concert is that we wanted to finish the series on a high, where we can all get together and perform in the same room as each other rather than over a screen.
“All of the performers in the concert have been affected hugely by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially those with a strong link to the arts sector. Two of them had to be flown home from international tour productions.”
Performing in the concert are many of the people who were a part of Shea’s virtual concert series, either last year or this year, plus a few new faces.
From the concert series he will be joined by Celyn Orton-Jones, Louise Cielecki Cornelia, Andy Snowden as compère, and star of Blood Brothers UK Daniel Taylor.
Shea added: “Joining us just for the concert is local singing star Amy Grace plus my friend and fellow John’s Boys choir member Sam Snowden.
“Throughout the series, I’ve been raising money for various charities who have been hit hard by the pandemic, raising over £2,500 for them.
“In deciding the charity for the finale, I couldn’t make up my mind which I should support until reading a fact about mental health during the pandemic, and this was that the suicide rate within the UK is the highest it has ever been in over two decades due to the affects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In my opinion, the real pandemic that has gone on over these past 12 months is the one that people have suffered personally and mentally. That is why we are raising money for Hafal, a Welsh mental health charity.
“I would particularly like to thank all the local businesses who have supported us along the way in the production of the concert.”
Shea says he is still working on providing a link to watch his finale concert online and llanblogger hopes to publish this soon.
* He is asking people to support Hafal by visiting: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hafalconcert
The stream will begin at 17:55 with the show starting at 18:00, fantastically streamed by ORB Sound and Lighting.
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