A 'one night only' event, in which the Mayor of Ryde took to the stage in drag, has raised more than £700 for men's mental health.
On Monday, December 5, the Monkton Arts Lounge was transformed into a music hall for an evening of the 'Good Old Days' to raise funds for Ryde's third sector group, Men Only IOW.
The packed house was entertained with fabulous renditions of 'Down at the Old Bull and Bush' and a whole line-up of incredible acts, including a special guest appearance by Soprano Jackie Maw. Mr Jim Thorn was delivering musical accompaniment.
The evening was hosted by Jon Thorne, whose elaborate introductions of the performers were reminiscent of the late, great Leonard Sachs.
The last act was Ryde Mayor Cllr Michael Lilley's transformation into the legendary female impersonator, Danny La Rue!
Michael pledged to perform the late Mr La Rue's hits, 'On Mother Kelly's Doorstep' and 'I Am What I Am' if £500 was raised before he went on stage.
Needless to say, the target was exceeded, with a grand total of £703.42 raised.
Cllr Lilley said:
"I have supported Men Only from the beginning as men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women and four times less likely to talk about it. Male suicides are the highest number of suicides in the UK and on the Isle of Wight.
"I have not put on a dress before, well at least not in public, and only doing this to raise awareness as IW Council champion for mental health and as Mayor of Ryde. Please support me and donate. I thank Men Only for the work they do."
The money is being used in part to fund and support Men Only’s drop in facility based in the Ryde Depository and will be used to ensure they can keep the building warm, especially for their Christmas Day drop in.
Men Only is a peer-led initiative to support men and raise awareness of men's mental health issues. They are based in Ryde.
Men Only have a mission to support men, whether they need some advice or just the space to talk. They aim to create a peer group to help men prevent mental health problems proactively rather than reactively.
Men Only would like to give thanks to Dawn and Jenna at Monkton Arts for working exceptionally hard to organise and host the evening.
All the acts that gave terrific performances enthralled the whole house and, of course, Cllr. Michael Lilley, pictured below with Dawn Fidler and Jenna Sabine from Monkton Arts, Ryde, presenting the cheque for £703.42 to Karl Hart from Men Only IOW.
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