Darlington
Students to put on memorial concert
FRIENDS of a teenager who lost his brave battle with cancer last week will hold a fundraising music event to celebrate his life.
Liam Harker died at the age of 17 just two months after he was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma, a rare and aggressive cancer.
As a memorial, his closest friends and students at Darlington's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College have organised the concert which will also raise money for Cancer Research.
It was the idea of Rachel Ashford and has also attracted the help of Darlington's young citizen of the year James Deane.
They will work Darlington Youth Service and the college to help put on the show.
Organisers have already arranged for local band Panic in Style, as well as college-based bands The Hornosexuals, Syndicate Theory and Counter Intelligence to play at the event.
They are now working towards securing a venue and a date for the gig. Students will also plan a range of spin-off events.
Rachel said: "When I first came up with the idea of the gig, it was before we knew much about Liam. We just wanted to raise money for him.
"It is a celebration of Liam's life which is in an appropriate way."
Liam was a drummer himself. Counter Intelligence have written a song about him to play at the gig, and Rachel will perform with the band to sing songs from his favourite band, Paramore.
Rachel added: "Liam was an absolutely amazing lad. It shouldn't have happened to him.
"When he was first diagnosed and I came up with the idea of this, he was in hospital.
His little sister said a big grin came out on his face when he found out."
James, who won the young citizen of the year in the Best of Darlington Awards, was already planning an arts event.
James, who knew Liam when they were younger, added: "I decided to help Rachel with funding. But she wanted her event to be bigger so I decided to combine it with mine.
"It has got to celebrate his life. We obviously don't want to forget Liam. The people who are getting involved are some of Liam's closest friends."
Anita Blackburn, the college assistant principal, said: "A lot of students have been affected so we want to let them express themselves.
"It has to be student led. It is a way of letting students work out their grief."
5:04pm Sunday 11th May 2008
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