SPECIAL event has been organised to raise money for toys for sick children this Christmas.

BAND4LIFE: SANTA CAUSE 2, taking place at the Railway Hotel, Clifftown Road, Southend, tomorrow, features some of the town’s finest bands.

They will be providing cheer for youngsters on Southend Hospital’s Neptune Ward.

Promoter and DJ Chris Powell said: “To be a kid at Christmas can be the greatest thing of all.

To be a kid at Christmas, but stuck in hospital is another thing altogether. That’s why we are buying presents for all the sick children at the hospital.’’ Mr Powell formed BAND4LIFE as a means of dealing with his own disability. Hewas struck by a rare eye disease several years ago that has left him almost completely blind.

He added: “There are struggles, though as an adult, I am far better suited to deal with the troubles than a child.

“That’s why the group is trying to provide a sense of Santa being real at a time when faith in anything can be difficult, with all the fears and insecurities that come with being young and unwell.

“We pride ourselves on providing care and support for worthy causes, with all money raised going straight to source.”

Since its first major event in 2012, the charity has raised more than £10,000 for local causes, providing money for disabled children at Darlinghurst Primary, Southend Junior PHAB, St Christopher’s School and other local projects.

This year, the group has teamed up with Paul Wohl at Argosy Toys, in Westcliff, after Mr Powell discovered the store was also providing toys for the children on the ward.

The store offered to convert all the money raised into toys bought at cost. Mr Powell added: “We are having a special day on Christmas Eve, where we find out all the toys that are asked for, head to the shop before wrapping the presents, then dropping them off in the dead of night, just as Santa would.’’ Tomorrow’s line-up includes star turns from the Ends, the Long Run, Phillious Williams and the Captain’s Daughter.

Tickets, priced £5, are available from the Railway Hotel, Fives Records, Leigh, and the Squeeze Cafe, Leigh.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/even ts/1573254236228725/ To make a donation, contact Paul, at Argosy Toys, on 01702 346806.