MacMillan are great, as many of us know from close family and friends if not first-hand. So it seems appropriate to put my neck on the line and do my bit to try to raise some money for them.

This crazy project involves conducting 2 movements of Beethoven's wonderful 1st piano concerto while my friend Adrian plays (I love his playing and hope you do too), then I swap baton for piano stool and try to play many notes as necessarily in the right order as possible for the Finale.

I will also be playing my cello in the orchestra for the other 4 hours of this music marathon supporting other wannabees fulfilling their musical ambitions...!!! More info on that is here (you may need to copy and paste the link):

• https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/richmond-orchestra/play-in2018

I last conducted an orchestra in public about 40 years ago. It was a small group of violins, violas and cellos and and lasted for about 45 seconds (or however long the last verse of O come, all ye faithful takes). I was probably wearing shorts. This is my first outing with a symphony orchestra. I have no intention of wearing shorts.

Do please come along and support us on Saturday 24th Feb. I believe the Beethoven will be at around 1:40pm or possibly 1:50pm but timings are approximate. These things never run ahead of schedule after all do they?! Entry to the entire concert (11am - 3:30pm, or as long as you can survive!) is FREE :-)

The event is at Sheen Lane Centre (same building as East Sheen Library I think) on Sheen Lane very close to Mortlake Station. If coming by car, there is limited parking at Sheen Lane Centre (free on Saturdays) or try your luck in a nearby side street. Or take the 493 bus from Wimbledon all the way to East Sheen.

Please note that this is a joint fundraising event run in conjunction with MacMillan Cancer Support and proceeds will be divided equally between MacMillan and Richmond Orchestra (which is a registered charity). Orchestras also have to fundraise these days, in order to survive...

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they won't sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charities. It's an efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. Although if you are making a large donation and won't be Gift Aiding it, you might consider donating directly by cash or cheque on the day or to me since the JustGiving fee is a steepish 5% (but that more than pays for itself on Gift Aid donations because it cuts out all the admin on the charity's side). Or just add 5% to your donation.... ;-)

Note: because the Justgiving website is a weeny bit hopeless, my fundraising doesn't show on the main MacMillan/Richmond Play-in page, but don't worry, it's still going into the same pot.