A COUPLE who have raised more than £17,000 for a Salisbury charity by hosting regular afternoon shows are calling it a day.

Christine and Peter Padwick have been doing quizzes and music hall-style shows since 2014 to support Salisbury Trust for the Homeless (STFTH) but have decided to retire.

They were given a send-off at STFH’s Summer Garden Party and presented with an inscribed miniature model of an Oscar in recognition of their many fundraising performances.

Christine said: “We are going to miss the concerts in Salisbury as we have always had such good audiences and such a good response.”

Peter added: “The audiences here have been brilliant.”

Peter, who used to run a dance band in the Army and was awarded the MBE for running an entertainments centre for British troops in Malta, met Christine, then an English and drama teacher, after he left the services.

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

For several years they have divided their time between Salisbury and Enfield in north London.

When in Wiltshire they have performed their mix of music, songs, jokes and nostalgia at the Salvation Army Church in Salt Lane - building up a loyal following for these events and their quizzes.

Now, Christine and Peter have decided to leave Salisbury to live full-time in Enfield, although they will continue to hold some online charity events.

“We shall miss them a lot,” said Gordon Pardy, the head of fundraising at STFH, at the garden party held at Salisbury Museum last month, which was attended by more than 80 people and raised over £1,700 for the charity, which receives no money from either central or local government.

He added:“When they started the shows to help us we never thought that they would continue for so many years and become such a regular and welcome part of our fundraising efforts.

"STFH is heavily dependent on the generosity of the public in Salisbury and South Wiltshire and the funds that these shows have generated have been a tremendous help.”

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