A local Elvis Presley fan club has raised £3000 towards providing music therapy sessions for children who have complex and incurable conditions.

Elvis in Essex chose Little Havens Hospices in Benfleet as its Charity of the Year last year and fundraised through collections and raffles at the club’s monthly meetings and events. The members chose for the money to help fund music therapy and sensory story time sessions for the children at the hospice.

Mike Davis, the club leader said, “Elvis Presley in his lifetime gave thousands of dollars to individual children and organisations as he himself lived in desperate poverty during his childhood – Elvis really knew what it was to have nothing. In his later life his greatest joy was giving to those who needed help.”

“Over the last 35 years, the Elvis in Essex organisation in Elvis’ name, has raised over £50,000 for a number of charities and we are now pleased to have adopted Little Havens as our ongoing charity for 2020.”

Sally Bridger, Community Fundraiser at Havens Hospices said, “I first met Mike after hearing him speaking on the radio in 2018, when Elvis in Essex was looking for a children’s charity to support. We can’t thank the club enough for their support over the year and for raising such a substantial amount of money which will provide 16 therapy sessions for the children at Little Havens.

“Mike recently had a tour around Little Havens to see where the money they have raised goes and we are so thankful to the club for choosing to support us again this year. If it wasn’t for the generosity and support from our local community, the hospice wouldn’t exist.”

If you have been inspired to raise money for Little Havens, please click here.