VAL and I attended the Urmston Festival — Party on the Pitch and what a wonderful time we both had.

I was invited to open the event and perform a few songs for the community on both days and I really enjoyed doing so.

There’s nothing finer than singing to your home town!

It was also lovely on the Saturday to have the new Mayor of Trafford join me on stage to kick off proceedings.

Then Val and I set up our camping chairs and settled in to watch the selection of tribute acts and original big name bands.

On the Saturday, the highlight for us was watching the Osmonds. Jay and Merrill Osmond were both really nice gentleman.

I managed to have a quick chat with them before they went on stage and Jay told me all about one of my music heroes Andy Williams.

It was a pleasure to meet them both. Then when they went on stage they were fantastic. The crowd loved every minute of their performance as did Val and I. It is brilliant that the organisers got them to come to Urmston and a piece of local music history has been made!

On the Sunday, despite the rain and strong winds, the show went on and it turned into another brilliant day. Never let it be said that Urmston is bullied by the weather!

Another day of fantastic bands, the highlight for me being the Bootleg Beatles who were out of this world!

I’ve never really been a Beatles fan but found myself dancing and singing along to them. They were great guys and it was a pleasure to meet them all too.

I also enjoyed working with and watching Jonny Spangles do his thing as he compered the whole event in a fantastic and sometimes hilarious way.

Events like this take months of hard work and planning but it’s all worth it for the organisers to see the community come together in a way that only music can provide.

This is why I love music and love singing, it brings people together, and it lifts your heart and puts a dance in your step. Where would we be without music?

Well done to the organisers who gave us a weekend to remember and memories that we will never forget. It’s not every day you get to meet an Osmond after all!

I’d like to thank all the organisers for inviting me along to open and perform at Urmston Festival and for giving Urmston a fantastic weekend.

See you next week!