Mike Shaw
Once again the residents of Hewlett Court can thank the Comfort Fund for arranging a very entertaining post-Christmas day afternoon on the 27the December. WBro Mike Shaw, a PastAPGM in the Province of Cheshire, began to set up his sound equipment at 1-45pm. ready to plug in his guitar to entertain us.
He started with Christmas Carols with full audience participation and, in parts, a full explanation as to when the men came in and then the ladies. Unfortunately, there had been no time for a rehearsal which added to the fun. We all got it right in the end. He eventually changed the mood with a varied assortment of old and new hits during which audience participation was again given, though unrequested, and, in some cases, with gusto, this being a sign of how much the residents were enjoying the show. The look on Mikes face said it all with this show of appreciation for his performance.
He maintained his show for one and a half hours non-stop with just a sip here and there to lubricate his voice box. The sip came from the complimentary sparkling wine distributed to all present by the Hewlett Court staff.
He mentioned that he had recently put on a show at another Masonic event where the attention of his audience was less that appreciative; in fact at times it was quite discourteous. By comparison, the reception he had received at Hewlett Court made his visit very worthwhile. The round of applause on the completion of his show left little doubt that a future visit from Mike would be something to look forward to and he will have now amassed his own “groupies” from the ladies present.
Mike, and his wife, are strong supporters of a charity called “Beechwood Cancer Care Centre” in Stockport who specialise in providing free treatments such as massage, reiki etc. to cancer sufferers for anyone living in the North West. They also provide counselling for carers and children. As an instance, they recently helped a widow and her children whose father had been killed in a road accident, and another who had committed suicide. The “shows” Mike puts on are in support of this Charity and he has raised £12,000 pounds during the past eight years by donating his “fee” from shows such as this. Well done Mike.
