Happy Mondays drummer drums up support!

HAPPY Mondays drummer, Gary Whelan, who is set to take centre stage in Warrington tonight (Friday) with a free concert to kick start the town’s annual music festival has also made a local children’s charity “very happy” to the tune of £3,500.

Gary has donated the sale of one of his old drum kits to The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust (CAFT), based at Millington near Lymm after it was auctioned by a former fan who received the old kit as a gift.
Back in the 90’s when Gary and the Happy Mondays were regularly playing at the Hacienda in Manchester, a young lad called Marc Starr would go along to see them with his Dad, who was also a drummer. Marc, aged 18, was a huge fan of the band and was learning to play the drums himself and he would regularly talk to Gary and update him on his progress.
Marc, who lives in Chorlton, recalls: “One night, Gary told me he had an old kit which I could have if I wanted it. I took him up on the offer and made him a 90 minute tape of my music as a thank you. What I didn’t realise at the time was that two decades would render the drum kit more than just a kit, but a collector’s piece, a bit of Factory Records history.”
Gary (pictured top) added: “Marc was an aspiring drummer but had no drum kit, so I gave him one of mine that I had recorded the first 2 Mondays albums with. “I gave it him for free as long as he did something good with it, and he has! Marc decided to auction it for charity and asked me who I would like the money to go to. I instantly named the Adventure Farm as it’s a charity very close to my heart.
“I trekked up three volcanoes in 2012 for them to raise vital funds for the terminally ill, disabled and disadvantaged children they support.
I’m so happy to be able to help them out again. Marc’s the man though, he kept his word!”
The drum kit (pictured right) recently went up for Auction at Bonhams in London. It sold for an impressive £3,500!
Helen Crowther from CAFT said: “We were so touched when Gary nominated us to receive this donation, he’s been a fantastic supporter of our charity for quite some time now and we’re so grateful. £3,500 is such a lot of money to us here at the Adventure Farm, it will pay for 6 children to enjoy a holiday in 2013. Children who have such difficult lives and would otherwise not be given the opportunity to spend time in the countryside in a safe and loving environment. We really can’t thank both Marc and Gary enough.”
The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust provides holidays, respite breaks, day trips and Christmas parties to groups of children and families at their Cheshire base. Children benefiting from their services may be terminally ill, disabled, victims of abuse or bereaved. They also provide breaks for young carers and children coming from some of the most deprived areas of the North West.
To contact The Adventure Farm to learn more about the charity and their events call 01565 830 053, or by visiting their website www.caft.co.uk