HUNDREDS of pounds are hoped to be raised for the Hillsborough Family Support Group when a special bands and barbecue weekend is held in Winsford.

The event will be staged at The Knights Grange Pub next Friday, August 28, until Bank Holiday Monday, August 31.

Entertainment will include performances from bands tuning into a wide range of musical tastes - E Funky E, Monkey See Monkey Do, Twice Removed, Imperial and Rain Street - as well as a barbecue, bouncy castle and bucking bronco.

World champion boxer Shea Neary is special guest at the charity gig. His belt will be on display and he will be available to sign autographs.

An auction will also take place to buy a signed Liverpool football with bids starting at £100.

Part-owner of the Knights Grange, Terry Tickle, said: "The weekend is set to be a huge success with many local bands taking part and a whole lot of fun for families.

"Popular Winsford Irish band Rain Street are set to perform on the Saturday night and we are hoping that the pub and gardens will be packed."

Rain Street, which recently pulled out of a folk music festival at Moss Farm organised by the Dan Network, will key into Irish influenced folk hits when they take to the stage.

The five piece band consists of Mick Emmett vocals; Mark Wesson flute and mandolin; Adrian 'Adie' O'Connor keyboards and bass; Chris McGreer guitar; Markus Van Diemen tenor banjo.

They play Irish-influenced folk music, performing a mixture of covers and original material.

Markus, of Winsford, said: "We play a lot of Pogues songs, as well as Neil Diamond's Crackling Rosy, which always seems to go down well at gigs."

"We've also got about a dozen of our own songs, including one about the Millennium Dome.

"We are looking forward to performing the Knights Grange and we were sorry to have to pull out of the event at Moss Farm."

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