A charity fundraiser that put some of Scotland’s top young musicians in the spotlight has raised more than £700 for a local hospice.
Lomond Radio Live at Dumbarton’s Burgh Bar was organised by presenters David Dennett and Ross Coutts, bringing live music to Dumbarton High Street on January 29 in support of St Margaret’s Hospice.
And the gig proved a smash hit – with organiser David, who presents Talent Spotlight on the Strathleven House-based station, admitting it exceeded his expectations.
David told the Lennox: “It turned out far better than any of us could’ve possibly imagined. It was a right good day. We were all delighted.
“I was brought up here, but moved away for about 15 years. When I came back I got involved with Lomond Radio and it’s been one of the best things I’ve done.
“It was a great way for me to re-engage with my hometown.
“I was performing, presenting and the sound tech for the vast majority of the day. I didn’t get a chance to sit down!
“I survived the entire day on a sausage and bean melt from Greggs. I just ran about daft the whole time.
“But I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. It was absolutely epic.
“We’re already getting asked when we’re going to do it again.
“The response has been absolutely incredible. I was quite overwhelmed by how well it went.”
As well as local acts like Alfie J King and Red Hearted Vibrations, the Burgh Bar played host to up and coming stars Connor Fyfe and The Voice winner Craig Eddie.
David continued: “I was fortunate enough to have Craig Eddie who won The Voice in 2021 come along. I had just recorded an interview for my radio show with him. Young Connor Fyfe is the next big superstar of Scottish music as far as I’m concerned. But everyone did us a turn and was superb.
“We had Martin Mullady over from Alloa, who was a fireman in Dumbarton previously.
“He was at the big fire at Jenners the previous week.
“From start to finish it was a really good event with a really talented bunch of people.
“Davy Woodcock from The Burgh Bar did us proud with a special menu for the day and it was pretty much full from start to finish.
“He said it was one of the nicest things he’s seen in Dumbarton for a long time.
“We need to say a special thank you to Davy and all the staff at The Burgh Bar who were brilliant and also to JJR Design and Print in Dumbarton for doing all the posters.
“The final figure has still to be totalled, but we raised around £700 from buckets and ticket sales.” David now hopes to make the live shows a more regular occurrence – even though everyone involved in Lomond Radio is a volunteer working for nothing more than a love of music.
He added: “Everyone at Lomond Radio hopes this can be a sort of precursor to the old days of the Balloch and Dumbarton festivals.
“If we can run these events successfully then hopefully they can get even grander going forward.
“Personally, my life has changed quite a bit in recent years.
“I decided to start allocating a bit more of my time to charity.
“My other half has been very supportive of that.
“There’s nothing worse than when your hobby starts to feel like a job.
“And doing things like this makes it feel a lot more like a hobby and a passion. It’s something I’m doing solely for the enjoyment of it.”
