MUSIC in the Park is back and tickets are now on sale.

This hugely popular biennial music event raises money for local charity Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care (PSYCH), which provides supportive and end-of-life care for patients and families in West Surrey and North East Hampshire, who are living with a terminal illness such as cancer.

This year;s event was launched at the Holiday Inn in Farnborough, where Sarah Brookeland, chief executive of PSYCH, and Michael Maher, vice-chairman of the trustees at PSYCH, met with Tim Vile, chairman of the Music in the Park committee, and the event’s sponsors - Central Heating Services, Davies, Blunnen & Evans, The Village Hotel, Rio Homes, Tag Farnborough Airport, Brooks & Partners, BMW Barons, Mitchell & Partners, Loo for Do’s and Farnborough International.

Mr Vile and Mrs Brookeland both gave a short presentation to those present, before announcing the music line-up for both evenings and selling the first tickets, which were bought by Wanda Arden from Farnborough International. All of the event’s sponsors are thrilled to be able to support such a popular and successful community event, and at the same time help vital local charity Phyllis Tuckwell.

Music in the Park will take place on Saturday, July 8, and Sunday, July 9, at the King George V Playing Fields in Farnborough. Saturday night will see performances from tribute acts for music icons Rod Stewart, Tina Turner and Elton John, all of whom will perform sensational hits which will have concert-goers dancing the night away.

Sunday will see flawless singing and choreography from the all-star cast of group Soul Legends, who will perform classics from Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and James Brown, to name but a few.

Gates will open at 5pm on both days, ready for the concert to start at 7pm, and a grand firework finale at 10.30pm will round off the evening.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.pst.org.uk or by calling 01252 729446. From April onwards people will also be able to buy them from Farnborough Leisure Centre, Woods the Butcher (North Camp), and Phyllis Tuckwell shops in Aldershot, Ash, Camberley, College Town, Farnborough, Farnham, Fleet and Frimley. They will be priced at £20 each until May 31 and will rise to £25 each from June 1. Under 12s are free and all children must be accompanied by an adult. VIP tickets to the ‘Village Enclosure’ are also available for both nights – contact Phyllis Tuckwell directly for more information and to purchase these special tickets.

Phyllis Tuckwell is extremely grateful to the Rotary Club of Farnborough for holding this event to support the care which it offers to local people. Every day it supports over 250 patients, relatives and carers - in their own homes, in the community, at the hospice in Farnham and at the Beacon Centre in Guildford. However, as the NHS/Government only covers 20 per cent of its costs, it has to raise over £20,000 a day, and therefore relies heavily on fundraising events such as Music in the Park. In 2015, Music in the Park raised an amazing £70,000, which is enough to fund Phyllis Tuckwell’s 18-bed In-Patient Unit (IPU) for over a week, where end of life and respite care is offered to patients with a terminal illness.

The IPU offers a higher than average nurse-to-patient ratio, a team of doctors who provide 24-hour individualised care, and a large multi-disciplinary team, who also provide therapies, counselling and chaplaincy support. It is well-equipped with modern facilities and two of its rooms are specially adapted for neurologically and cognitively impaired patients.

PTHC would like to thank all of the event’s sponsors, as well as EBB Paper, PD Group, Rushmoor Borough Council, Farnborough Leisure Centre and the Holiday Inn, Farnborough.

For more information, visit www.musicinthepark

farnborough.co.uk.