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Thirty Musicians and a Helicopter |
when is this on?
| This isn't scheduled anytime soon. |
 Live Aid started it, now 30 musicians from the Torbay music scene have taken up a big challenge on a smaller scale. Move over Bob Geldolf and meet Malcolm Toft, a big wig in the record industry in the ‘60s who moved to Devon to lead a better life.
This heart-warming film revolves around his recording studio and the radio station that backed the creation of a track to raise money for the Devon Air Ambulance service - an emergency service run by 250 volunteers and funded by 1.8m of donations every year.
Tim Powell, a musician from Torbay is responsible for building the track to a point where local musicians can come in, do the vocals... and you guessed it, all sing one line each, in true charity record style! Tim Powell says the making of the record has brought the Community together behind a common cause “It’ll be the first time that all of these local acts that already kind of know each other will work together”
 When word of the project circulates, Mel, the local radio station presenter for Gemini FM gets involved and offers to back the project. “We thought it was about time we got behind the Devon Air ambulance and gave them some support, and when Tim came along with his charity single, it was a really good link between Gemini FM as a radio station and local issues in the community, i.e you’ve got the music and then you’ve got the charity”
The importance of the small-acorns approach and canvassing support from local people is evident in this film. Tim says “I chose Devon Air Ambulance as a charity because I wanted to think of something that was first of all personal to the area and it’s also something that could technically affect everyone, I mean god forbid any-one has an accident, but it’s something that we could all benefit from in the long run”
 The Devon Air Ambulance Trust was set up by the Thomas family in 1992 after their son Ceri died in a road accident. The family wanted to help other accident victims get to hospital more quickly – something which is difficult on Devon’s country roads and with main roads clogged by tourism in the holiday season. The charity raises all the money needed to lease the aircraft, fuel it, staff it and mobilise it with paramedics.
It relies heavily on the support of local people. But will the record be a success? Tune into The Community Channel to find out.
There are voluntary air ambulance services throughout the UK – to find out more about them and how you can support a service near you, visit the following website: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/misc/blues2.htm.
If you would like to buy a copy of the record, please call 01392 466 666.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 August 2006 )
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