Singer Julie A Scott who has performed in front of audiences of thousands, as well as for the Royal Family, entertained a group of Southport residents helping them raise money for cancer research.

Julie, who shot to fame on ITV’s talent show New Faces in the early eighties, sang for 120 guests at Hillside Golf Club during the afternoon tea event organised by North West Cancer Research’s Southport-based fundraising committee.

She sang a selection of songs through the ages, providing the perfect accompaniment to the teas, coffees and homemade cakes and pastries enjoyed by guests.
More than £1,000 was raised through ticket sales and a bumper raffle, which has been donated to North West Cancer Research, the region’s biggest locally-based funder of cancer research.
The charity has committed to funding more than £13million worth of cancer research over the next five years – approximately £9million of which will be spent at nearby University of Liverpool.
Chair of the Southport committee Olive Cutts has been raising money for the charity for 26 years, after her son survived a blastoma of the eye when he was just 11 years old.

She said: “I’m thrilled with the success of this year’s afternoon tea event. It was a really enjoyable day and made even better by the fact that all the money will go toward North West Cancer research.

“I’d like to thank the committee and the wonderful staff at Hillside Golf Club who help us every year with their time and facilities - without their help this event couldn’t have happened.

“Cancer can be a devastating disease, but research is helping improve our understanding of it and is giving more people like my son the chance to survive it. This is why it is so important to our committee to support North West Cancer Research, as we know whatever money we raise will go on to help eliminate the disease in the future.”

Money raised by the afternoon tea will support research at the University of Liverpool, such as a three-year project looking at the role of the HPV virus in head and neck cancers and a clinical trial which will help improve the treatment of bile duct cancer.

It will also help fund the next generation of research scientists. North West Cancer Research currently funds 16 PhD studentships at the University of Liverpool as well as seven intercalating students who started their placements this month.

Bobby Magee, fundraising manager at North West Cancer Research said: “It’s really good to see events like this help raise money for the charity. Olive and the rest of the Southport committee have hosted many successful events like this and the money raised really does make a huge difference.”

The next event to be organised by Olive and the Southport committee is its annual Chinese Banquet on 16th September at Ho Lee Chows Chinese Restaurant. Tickets are available from Olive Cutts on 01704 807857 or from Ho Lee Chows restaurant on Rotten Row.