A CARDIFF musician has raised money for a number of charities through Open Mic nights in Canton.
Simon James, 50, goes by the stage name Chordie and raises money for the Specialized Project and the Teenage Cancer Trust through music nights, comedy shows and charity raffles.
Mr Jones runs a music night every month at the King’s Castle on Cowbridge Road East. In October he raised £225 from the pub alone.
Chordie and Friends’ perform together with a number of musical guests who cover popular artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Rod Stewart.
Some of the money collected
Credit: Simon James
The King’s Castle runs a charity raffle for the Teenage Cancer Trust in the weeks leading up to the Open Mic nights. Half of the money raised by the pub goes to Mr James, while the other half goes to the Marie Curie charity.
Mr James says that he “wants to give something back” through his charity work. He said, “Music is something that came to me late in life. In 2012 I bought an acoustic guitar and in 2014 I started singing”.
It was after starting a new job that Mr James realised he could afford to do charity music work. “I’ve always wanted to give money to charity but only now that I have a well-paying job am I finally able to”.
Tanya Jones, in charge of entertainment at the King’s Castle, spoke about how important raising the money is. She said, “every household will encounter cancer whether it be family or close friends”. The pub has raised over £500 for Marie Curie in the past few months.
Specialized Project is a music community that started in 2012. It aims to raise money to improve the lives of teenagers and young adults suffering from cancer.
The next Open Mic night at the King’s Castle will be on Sunday November 13th.
