MOSSLEY’S Britain’s Got Talent winner Jon Courtenay is ready to fulfil an ambition by performing at the town’s George Lawton Hall in a fundraising concert.
And he admits that in itself may bring added pressure, because he will personally know several of the audience.
The Top Mossley singer is taking his show to the venue tomorrow (Friday, March 18) to help raise funds for Red Nose Day.
And he cannot wait to perform, even though he will spot some familiar faces.
Speaking to The Correspondent, Jon said: “I wanted to do something a bit crazy, so the original plan was to do a 12-hour show but the logistics of it at such short notice meant we couldn’t do it.
“But we had access to the George Lawton Hall, Tameside Council offered it for free, so I said, ‘We might not be able to do a mammoth show but we can do my regular one.’
“The support I received from Mossley and Tameside as a whole was so overwhelming and a few people jokingly said, ‘OK, you’re doing the Lowry, you’re f-doing the Opera House, when are you doing the George Lawton Hall?’
“I said, ‘I’d love to do it.’ It’s a great venue and I’ve been to many shows there, maybe we can do it for a charity?
“It’s a venue I’ve always wanted to play. Mossley is my wife’s home town and her family lives here.
“Mention a village hall and you think, ‘That’s going to be small and like a Scout hut or something,’ which some of them are.
“But George Lawton Hall is fantastic. So I made some phone calls. Gary O’Reilly, the manager, has been amazing and people have really stepped up at such short notice.”
All proceeds from ticket sales – priced £15 for adults and £10 for children – will go to Comic Relief and capacity is about 300 as it will be a cabaret-style, with people sitting at round tables rather than tiered seating.
And Jon – who won Britain’s Got Talent in 2020 – saluted everyone who is backing him, adding: “Minuteman Printers did the posters for free and everyone doing the tech set-up and stage management is giving up their time so we can give all the money to charity.
“I’m aware of what’s going on in the Ukraine but Comic Relief has stepped up and is working with partners there to help the refugees there.
“What we’re doing will help everyone while having a night of fun and laughter at the same time, which we all need at the minute.
“I was offered the chance of having tiered seating but I said, ‘If you have big, round tables, people can sit with friends and family and have a drink. We can make it like a cabaret evening.”
Jon admits he does not know how long the show will be – his guess is 60-90 minutes depending on how long he talks to the audience for.
But having people he knows and lives nearby will add another dimension, particularly for his youngest son, Alfie.
He continued: “Performing to people I know does add a bit of pressure.
“I do a meet and greet after shows, which is the best part of the show normally, but you think, ‘This is great but I probably won’t see you again.’
“Whereas I know my youngest son’s headteacher from Buckton Vale Primary School is coming, along with other teachers.
“So the show’s got to be good. I can’t have him going into school on Monday and people going, ‘Your dad wasn’t very good!’”
*JON’S show starts at 7.30pm tomorrow (Friday, March 18). You can buy tickets from www.joncourtenay.com/tickets.