John Williams and John Etheridge Join Forces for Charity Concert
On Sunday 31st of January 2010, as a joint fundraiser for Wild Futures and the Burgh House Trust, world-renowned guitarists John Williams and John Etheridge will perform a special concert at Hampstead Parish Church. Tickets are currently on sale for £20 and can be booked via Burgh House by calling 020 7431 0144.
The concert will be the second that Mr. Williams has performed in support of Wild Futures, whose flagship project, The Monkey Sanctuary, was founded by his late father, Len Williams. Says John:
“My father loved animals, and particularly woolly monkeys; in London he actually adopted one, and a whole room in our flat in Gordon Square, right in the middle of the city, was converted into a monkey enclosure.
“That was the beginning of his love affair with these monkeys, and when he later moved to a house in Kent he adopted another two or three woolly monkeys and he finally started the sanctuary in Looe in 1964, when it was originally called the Murrayton Woolly Monkey Sanctuary.
“This is why I have a soft spot for the sanctuary, and I am delighted to be supporting it and Burgh House on January 31st.”
The concert has been organised thanks to Angela Humphries, who is an active supporter of both organisations. Angela became aware of the work of Wild Futures following publicity surrounding the re-homing of Joey, a capuchin monkey who was rescued by the charity from a house just down the road from hers in Hampstead, London. Joey suffers from mental and physical disabilities following nine years locked in a tiny cage with no company or access to natural light and it was feared that he might not survive the upheaval of the move. On the contrary, Joey has thrived in his new home, touching the hearts of staff and visitors to the sanctuary with his pure strength of character and determination. Joey now lives in a cohesive social group, has learned to climb and play as well as beginning to deal with and overcome his physical and mental trauma.
Joey is one of the lucky ones; there are still over 5,000 monkeys suffering as pets in the UK alone. The Wild Futures team hopes that this event will help to raise vital funds to help more primates in need.
<ENDS>
Notes to Editors
Burgh House is a beautiful Queen Anne Grade I Listed building set in a small award-winning garden. Saved from neglect and disrepair through a campaign by the local community, the house – now run by The Burgh House Trust – opened to the public in 1979 and has since served the whole area as an enormously popular local history museum, art gallery, classical concert venue and a meeting place for local groups and societies. Thirty years on, Burgh House is going from strength to strength – but it needs your support. It is a self-financing independent registered charity and does not receive any regular government funding whatsoever. In these difficult financial times the Trust relies more than ever on the generosity of its supporters to continue its work and preserve this special building for the enjoyment of generations to come. By attending the concert you are helping us to carry on our proud tradition of opening free of charge to the public, maintaining and expanding the collections of Camden’s only local history museum, hosting local community groups and providing free education visits for students of all ages.
Wild Futures (Charity reg. No. 1102532) is an educational and environmental charity promoting the welfare and conservation of primates, and working to end the abuses of primates in captivity. Its flagship project, The Monkey Sanctuary, in Cornwall, is home to victims of the primate pet trade. Drawing on over 40 years of primate expertise, Wild Futures acts as an advisory body to sanctuaries and conservation organisations in the UK and overseas and advises DEFRA on UK animal welfare legislation.
For more information or further pictures contact:
Liz Tyson, Public Relations and Communication Manager
+44 (0) 1503 262 532