I was lucky to be asked by the Mayoress to help with the Mayoral Couple’s charity variety gala on March 22 at the Desborough Suite in Maidenhead Town Hall.

The show comprised lots of local acts performing song, dance and comedy numbers in order to raise money for three local good causes.

These were the Maidenhead Sea Cadets, the Starfish Swimming Club for the disabled and the Prince Philip Trust Fund.

My role was simply to introduce acts and let the audience know when it was time to get drinks and buy raffle tickets so I didn’t panic too much in advance and wasn’t particularly nervous standing in the wings.

The acts themselves ranged from ‘very good’ to ‘absolutely spectacular’ and there was a really positive response from the audience to performers ranging from solo singers to rock choirs and from tap dancers to a Chinese lion dance troupe. The Mayoress Julia Jenner deserved the huge cheer she got at the end of the night  for doing such a terrific job of bringing together an excellent evening of fundraising and entertainment.