Christmas Concert supporting York Hospital's Renal Unit

A Christmas Concert, organised by popular York band Generation Groove, has raised over £130 for York Hospital. The concert took place on Sunday 18th December at Joseph Rowntree Theatre.

Generation Groove was formed in 2002 and now has 35 members playing brass and wind instruments. The concert will be a fantastic way to get into the Christmas spirit where families will be able to enjoy a selection of Christmas music (including an opportunity to sing along to carols) and big band favourites.

As Christmas is a time for giving, a collection and raffle took place to raise money for a new shared care kidney dialysis unit at York Hospital which will enable patients to manage their own care together with the support of medical staff if needed. In total there are almost 23,000 people diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease in North Yorkshire with 175 of these patients at such an advanced stage that they require dialysis treatment to stay alive.
This was a particularly poignant fundraising initiative for Generation Groove, as the father of one of their members has suffered End Stage Kidney Failure. Robert Smith, whose son Matthew plays alto saxophone in 'Intro' (Generation Groove's started band), underwent dialysis treatment for 12 months before being fortunate enough to receive a kidney transplant. As Robert says, "York Hospital's Renal unit is simply wonderful - all the Doctors, Nurses and Administrative staff there are so caring and supportive. If you are unfortunate to suffer from a serious illness, if it happens to be Chronic Kidney Disease, at least you can rely on the best possible care from the York Hospital Renal unit".