Deep Purple to headline the sunflower Jam charity concert at The royal albert hall - 8th July 2011

Now we are all about mental health and wellbeing, so it is rare that something not directly related captures our attention, however this fantastic charity concert inspired us, and in our opinion boosting the morale of seriously ill children is good for both their physical and mental health.

Deep Purple - the last surviving truly legendary heavy rock and roll band – are set to play their first UK show in over two years at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 8th July 2011 in aid of the Sunflower Jam Charity. This unique one-off event will also feature an eclectic array of illustrious stars such as Joe Bonamassa, Newton Faulkner and Rick Wakeman alongside Master of Ceremonies, Jeremy Irons and a handful of very special guests including former Deep Purple keyboard maestro, Jon Lord, who will be joining the band onstage for the first time in almost a decade.

The Sunflower Jam Charity was set up in 2006 by Jacky Paice - wife of Deep Purple drummer, Ian Paice – after she had been moved to tears by the heart-breaking story of a teenage boy who was suffering from leukaemia: “In 2005, a friend of mine who heads the complimentary therapy care team at University College Hospital told me about a 16-year-old boy called Kevin who had leukaemia,” Jacky Paice explains. “He was a massive Deep Purple fan, and I was asked if there was any chance I could get my husband to sign something for him. I said I could go one better and asked Ian and Jon Lord (who is married to my twin sister, Vicky) if we could all visit Kevin in hospital.

“When we opened the door to his room, we could see his prized Deep Purple posters plastered all over the walls amongst all of the medical equipment. Kevin was in bed with his guitar beside him, looking worryingly pale. For as long as I live, I will never forget the look of sheer joy we could see on this brave and beautiful young boy’s face when he saw Jon and Ian sit down next to him. His elder brother was in the room next door, waiting to donate his bone marrow to Kevin later that day, and we spent the rest of the afternoon by his bedside. After we said our goodbyes and we got up to leave, Kevin picked up his guitar and began to play ‘Smoke On The Water.’

“We immediately invited Kevin and his family to come and visit us as we really wanted to give him something to look forward to once he had recovered. He passed away two weeks after we met him, so we never got the chance to see him again. Six years later, I still have his number on my phone – I just don’t have the heart to delete it. It was a day that none of us will ever forget.

“Seeing all the incredible work the healers were doing on that oncology ward working alongside the NHS doctors who have wholly accepted them as an essential part oftheir team made me realise that I had to find a way to raise money to get more healers in there. I sat down with my son, James, and together we came up with the idea for The Sunflower Jam. We originally set up the charity from an improvised office in our dining room at home, and we have now seen both the charity and the event itself grow at an astonishing rate since our first fundraising concert five years ago.”

Previous shows have included some of the biggest names in rock, ranging from Robert Plant and Paul Weller to Status Quo, Suggs and Bruce Dickinson, and this year this is by far the largest and most prestigious event undertaken by The Sunflower Jam Charity in its history.

Jon Lord - one of the original trustees - comments: “The Sunflower Jam has now become an established and much anticipated event for two reasons – it is such a truly wonderful and worthwhile cause, and it is such huge fun too, both for the audience and for the artists involved in the show. I haven’t played with Deep Purple since 2002, so this year, I wanted to do something special that would excite the band’s ever-loyal fans. It will be a unique, one-off show, so there will be a few surprises in the set alongside some of our most iconic and best-known songs. I can’t wait.”

General tickets are priced at £100, VIP tickets also available. For tickets and more information please visit www.thesunflowerjam.com