A COUPLE who have been entertaining audiences with their afternoon act have raised more than £7,500 for Salisbury Trust for the Homeless.

Peter and Christine Padwick hold regular shows, which has its roots in 19th and early 20th century music hall, at the Salvation Army Church in Salt Lane.

Salisbury Trust for the Homeless (STFH) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

On Wednesday, September 27, at 2.45pm, for 3pm start, they will be back at the hall offering a look at the 1940s in a show which incorporate Vera Lynn’s music, Churchill’s speeches, the wail of air raid sirens, the dubious joys of rationing and gas masks, the absurd broadcasts of the traitor ‘Lord Haw-Haw’ from Berlin and the raw fear engendered by German ‘doodlebug’ rockets.

The humour and the horrors of this extraordinary era will be portrayed in Peter and Christine’s own inimitable style.

Entry is just £5, which includes tea and cakes, and every penny goes to STFH, who provide accommodation and support for single people over the age of 18.

“We are now retired and feel that it is right to use our experience in the entertainment world to raise money for worthwhile causes,” said Peter.

Christine added: “We love doing the shows, they are great fun.”

Peter first came to the Salisbury area when he was in the Army, serving first with the Royal Hampshire Regiment and then the Royal Army Educational Corps. He played the saxophone in an Army dance band and was awarded an MBE for running an entertainments centre for British troops in Malta. He met Christine, then an English and drama teacher, while he was running an adult education centre in Enfield after he left the Army.

The couple devised a programme of shows which they performed all over the country before scaling down their commitments to concentrate on charity work.

Gordon Pardy, the chairman of the Trust, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Peter and Christine for their fundraising events for STFH.

“Although we receive welcome support from Wiltshire Council, we are heavily dependent on the generosity of the public and the money that these shows have generated is a tremendous help.”

Tickets available on the door or by calling Gordon Pardy on 01722 504295.