Whitchurch Concert for Refugee Aid sees hundred show support

People gathered at All Hallows Church in Whitchurch on Saturday, July 8, to raise funds for Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group (SWVG), which supports asylum seekers in the local area.

It follows the inaugural concert last year, organised by the late musician Paul Sartin and raised more than £2,000 for SWVG.

This year, the crowd and talented musicians joined together to sing Harbour by Anna Tabbush, which has become an anthem for the refugee crisis.

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@basingstokegazette Hundreds showed their support for those who need help the most at the Concert for Refugee Aid on Saturday night. People gathered at All Hallows Church in Whitchurch to raise funds for Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group (SWVG), which supports asylum seekers in the local area. It follows last year’s inaugural concert in the town, which was organised by the late Paul Sartin and raised thousands of pounds. The crowd and talented musicians joined together to sing Harbour by Anna Tabbush, which has become an anthem for the refugee crisis. #refugees #RefugeeAid #Whitchurch #Harbour #annatabbush ♬ original sound - Basingstoke Gazette

Mayor of Whitchurch, Councillor Tracy Woodruff, opened the 2023 event and paid tribute to Mr Sartin who she would regularly talk to while walking her mother's dog. 

Thanking volunteers, she said: "It is so easy to say that it is someone else's problem, however, I am seeing more and more people taking responsibility and behaving and acting in positive ways to make change happen - big and small. 

"Tonight is about helping the refugees and the fantastic music as well, however, I would like to say a big thank you to the fantastic volunteers who made this happen."

Catherine Hartley, vice-chair of trustees for SWVG, said: "We've probably all come here with open hearts and minds, but the system that people encounter when they come to this country seeking asylum isn't open at all.

"It is full of barriers, hoops to jump through, prejudice, and mistrust. I say the system, because I do not believe that many ordinary people feel as hostile as we may sometimes be led to believe, we come across generosity wherever we go.

"I am really proud to belong to an organisation that does not judge, or condemn, welcomes people and tries to respond to the needs of each person on a human level."

This year’s performers included Paul Sartin’s youngest son, Joe, plus Vincent Lindsey-Clark, a Whitchurch resident, composer and classical guitarist, highly acclaimed both nationally and internationally.

Following the interval, Jackie Oates and Jon Wilks took to the stage. Wilks, another Whitchurch resident, is a well-known finger-picking guitarist, songwriter and singer of traditional folk songs, fresh from his recent tour.

Quimantu, an Anglo-Chilean band, closed the evening. The group is made up of a number of performers who fuse influences from music around the globe, and share a vision of respect for freedom, justice, culture and education.