BOYZONE MEET SCOTS CANCER PATIENT IN GLASGOW 25 YEARS LATER

Boyzone were thrilled to meet one of their first Scots charity patients on Glasgow - twenty five years after they first helped her make her dreams come true.

Shelley Cunningham first met the boys in Scotland at the SECC In 1994 during their first big tour of Scotland.

Shelley then aged 12 was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. She also had septicaemia and a form of meningitis.

The visit was organised by her dad, now the famous Les Hoey MBE who is behind Scotland’s Dreammaker charity and who was desperate to help his daughter meet her idols.

At the time no other charity would help fourteen year old Shelley to fulfil her dream.

Les who is currently looking for Kiltwalk volunteers said: “I made three phone calls and no one would help me. They said they were too big a band, so I had to do all the groundwork myself. Eventually I managed to get in touch with Mark Plunkett who was the tour manager at the time and he told me he would organise it on the day of the concert.”


Shelley had spent nearly two years in Yorkhill Hospital, after a bone marrow transplant following her diagnosis in 1992  and pop group Boyzone were new to the scene.

When Les saw how happy this made Shelley, he was inspired to give other children with life threatening illnesses the same joy, and so the DreamMaker Foundation was born.

Shelley said: “The first time I met Boyzonethey were all so nervous. They asked me how I was because they could see I was skinny from all the treatment.

It built my confidence up and made me think positively after the meeting. It was incredible to meet them again twenty five years later.


Ronan remembered our first meeting and Shane said to me I’d grown up since the last time. We had a great laugh backstage and it was so lovely to chat after all these years.

I talked to other families who were there and met some kids who were going through the same illness that I had. As one parent said it was good to see the positive instead of the negative things.”

GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL WITH SIR MICHAEL PALIN, CELTIC CONNECTIONS AND BOYZONE

BOYZONE’S Keith Duffy is hopping to catch up with his Scots rugby pals Thom and Max Evans when the lads play here at the weekend.
Boyzone will be playing their fairwell gig tomorrow night at the SSE Hydro and Keith told me last time we spoke that he and the Evans lads are the best of pals.
He said: “The Evans brothers come to all our gigs. They either stand side of stage of go out front - whatever they want.”
Keith and the lads says they won’t be going crazy after they Hydro gig.
He laughed: “Those days are gone now and we’ve all had our moment of glory. We don’t like hangovers anymore so play golf now and enjoy glass of wine parties.”
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HARRY Potter, Sense and Sensibility and Gosford Park composer Patrick Doyle got everyone sobbing as he made it a real family affair at his Glasgow concert. Not only did he bring his two daughters Nuala and Abigail  to accompany him on Sigh No More. He also managed to play a treasured sixty year old recording of his own father Patrick singing at a family gathering. He told the audience it had been his dads ambition to sing with  a live orchestra but he sadly passed away last year. His wish finally came true at Celtic Connections and it was a true homecoming. I definitely lost a few fake lashes on the night.
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Glasgow Film Festival goers are up for a real rough and ready night at this year’s event.
The 12 day long fest from February 20 to March 3 will see seven world premieres, 102 UK premieres and 49 Scottish premieres. Guests including Sir Michael Palin, Carol Morley, Matt Bomer, Carlos Acosta, Josh O’Connor, Alice Lowe, Simon Amstell and music video director Lance Bangs.
One of the highlights will be a showing of Fight Club in a mystery destination in North Glasgow featuring real fighting.
I’m told the battles will be coordinated by Scots fight expert Janet Lawson who was a member of the stunt team for Season 6 of the TV series Vikings and plays Mrs Hinzmann in the Scottish Christmas Zombie Musical Anna and the Apocalypse.
She knows her stuff and some locals might think it’s the real thing.

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KEITH DUFFY GETS EMOTIONAL AT SCOTFEST AS BOYZONE NEAR END

Beverley Lyons
BOYZONE singer Keith Duffy says he’s becoming emotional as the end of the band is in sight - but he’s hoping family and  friends  including the famous sporting Evans brothers lend their support when he plays Scotfest this weekend.
The singer is going to make sure he has a real party in Edinburgh when he plays the Royal Highland Centre In Ingliston on Saturday for the nostalgia fest.
Boyzone will headline the gig while B*witched, Five, East 17 and Liberty X also play Saturday following The Jacksons, Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers, Five Star and S Club on Friday.
He said: ”Scotland has always been one of my favourite places to gig and Scottish fans are just nuts, not unlike the Irish. They like a swally, as we say, and  know how to have fun.”
“Scotfest is a festival show and will be a great outdoor party. Hopefully we don’t get the typical Scots weather and it remains sunny.”
The Scotfest show is the second last time that Boyzone will perform here - with their last ever Scots gig at the SSE Hydro in January next year.
Keith admits he’s already preparing himself for an emotional time but is hoping his friends and family will give him a sense of perspective on the end of the band.
He said: “It is the end of Boyzone and a conscious decision has been made. It’s  not a decision we’ve taken lightly and we’ve been humming and hawing over the last while about what way we should do it.
We’ve all gone down different paths and have been busy. Brian McFadden and I have been doing very well as a duo and enjoying playing smaller venues. It’s been more like the early days playing theatres and halls and looking into peoples eyes.”
Keith said of the split: “Thankyou and good night is what was decided and we have respected the memory of Stephen Gately.
It feels like one last hurrah after twenty five years and it will be really nostalgic.
I’m emotional. If you spoke to a member of my family they will tell you I am quite sensitive and quite emotional. There will be melancholy and a tear in my eye. I’m still coming to terms with it because it is so final and does need to be so final and so dramatic and for us to believe it and embrace it. It is dramatic and final but it is going to be a great party. The Evans brothers come to all the Boyzone gigs so they are invited to Edinburgh.  They can stand by the side of the stage or if they want to go out front they can do that too.”
“When you look at it, we are all grown men in our forties with grown up kids. Although there will be tears, there are far worse things in life like the loss of Steven and my daughter Mia who has autism graduating from school, so we will get over this. There are always different channels in the entertainment industry. “

SCOTFEST ORGANISERS WANT YOU TO GRAB THEIR BOABY

CHEEKY organisers of eighties and nineties music event Scotfest are asking punters to Grab their Boaby in return for free tickets.
Festival boss Mark Bennett and his team have a little runaround they’ve named Boaby on account of its number plate LB08 - and they are offering Scots free tickets to their Ingliston event this July 6 and 7 if they spot him.
Boaby will be running around Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Falkirk, Dumfries, Dundee, Fife and Perth from Wednesdayonwards.
If you see him just go over and knock on the window saying ‘I love the Nineties’ and you will be given a £48 ticket to the event at the Royal Highland Centre.
Festival boss Mark Bennett said: “Our wee Boaby will be running around Scotland with his engine fully revved. He might be small but he packs a lot of punch and in our eyes, is the best wee Boaby in Scotland. 

We’re offering people a free ticket (worth £48)  to Scotfest if they manage to grab him when he is out and about. 

All they need to do is come over, tell us I Love The Nineties and the first people at each destination will be given a ticket.

Scotfest at Ingliston Edinburgh will welcome The Jacksons, Boyzone, B*witched, 5ive, S Club, Five Star, Liberty X, 911, East 17, Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers and local bands on July 6 and July 7. 

They also have a dedicated Kids Zone with inflatables and camping facilities for the family and will be showcasing Scottish food and  tartan. 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scotfest-2018-tickets-39099518713

SCLUB 3 ARE COMING TO EDINBURGH’S SCOTFEST

NINETIES Pop legends S Club have confirmed they’ll be playing Scotfest at Edinburgh’s Ingliston this summer. 

The pop band now known as S Club 3  recently released their first new single Family in 14 years and can’t wait to perform at the family friendly nostalgia fest at the Royal Highland Centre on July 6 and 7.
They’re sure to get the crowd bopping away to hits including Don’t Stop Movin and Never Had A Dream Come True when they performs alongside headliners Boyzone, The Jacksons, 5ive, B*witched, Liberty X, East 17,  Five Star, Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers and more at the family friendly fest.
Although in its first year. Scotfest is shaping up to be Scotland’s second biggest music festival with a capacity of 35,000 a day.
Organisers are making sure they cater for all the family with a Kids Zone, Petrolheads Zone and Carnival as well as offering fresh food from local suppliers and camping options from £10 upwards.
Festival boss Mark Bennett said: “We’re delighted to announce the addition of S Club to the bill and can’t wait to boogie away to their hits. As we know, there’s nothing like an S Club Party.”
The band now consists as a three piece with Jo O’Meara, Tina Barrett and Bradley McIntosh taking to the stage.
Tickets for Scotfest are available from their website www.Scotfest.com

Adult day tickets start at £48 and tickets for children under 5 are free.
Gates to the main arena open at 2pm on the Friday and 10am on the Saturday and the venue is easily reached by car, bus and tram.

Friday line up 6th July 2018 

The Jacksons

Les McKeown's Bay City Rollers

Five Star

SClub

David Lee Andrews

Tam Scott 

Dionne Hickey

and hosted by David Mutch

Saturday line up 7th July 2018

Boyzone 

B*Witched

East 17

Five

Liberty X

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BOYZLIFE AND NICHOLAS MCDONALD COLLABORATE AT GLASGOW CHARITY BASH

BOYZLIFE singers Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy surprised partygoers by inviting Scots singer Nicholas McDonald on stage to perform at a Scots fundraising ball.


The Irish heartthrobs from Westlife and Boyzone were secret guests at the Donna Mortimer Ballantyner Trust ball and had already told punters and sporting celebs including Jamie Walker, Walter Smith and Scott Allan: "This isn't a job. This is f***ing great" as they performed hits including Picture of You, Mandy and Uptown Girl."

Nicholas who was in the audience with fellow X factor talent Caitlyn Van Beck who had earlier performed in memory of Donna who passed away from cancer couldn't wait to get up on stage.
He jumped up for a rendition of Westlife cover Swear It Again.

Keith said:"He was gagging to get up there. I couldn't turn him down."
The Boyzlife stars commented on the hundreds of mobile phones that were recording them, quipping: "We used to write some nice handwritten notes to one another."

Following the event which raised over a hundred thousand pounds for the charity at Glasgow's Doubletree Hilton, Keith sat in the bar downing tequila shots.
 Brian stayed up in his room after bringing his PE teacher girlfriend Danielle with him to Glasgow.

Posted with love from Scotland - theshowbizlion.com

Excerpts of this article have since appeared in the Glasgow Evening Times