Female supergroup raises £30,000 over decade of fundraising shows

An all-female supergroup has raised £30,000 for local charities over a decade of fundraising gigs, with their final farewell performance taking place at Melksham Assembly Hall this month.

Female of the Species is made up of five local women who have played fundraising gigs over the last ten years to raise money for local charities from the Bath and Wiltshire Air Ambulance to smaller charities including Voices, a Bath-based domestic violence charity.

The band’s final farewell gig took place on Saturday 13th September at Melksham Assembly Hall, bringing a decade of fundraising to an end, where they raised over £3,000 for Voices.

The ‘supergroup’ brings together five singers from popular local bands, including Melksham locals Jules Moreton, a vocalist who helped set up the band, fellow vocalist Charmaigne Andrews, and saxophone player Karen Potter, alongside Julia Hanratty, Nicky Davis and Claire Perry, backed by local musicians.

On the night of their farewell show, funds were raised through ticket sales and additional donations.

Brilliant night

One of the singers, Claire, said, “I am known for wearing a trilby on stage and during the set I went around the crowd to fill the hat with extra donations. It was such a brilliant night. We are sad to see it end. We have some ardent followers; they were all saying, ‘you can’t say it’s the last one.”

Over the years, the band has chosen which charities to support by either putting names into a hat or selecting a charity that has directly supported one of the members.

At their final show, they raised funds for Voices because Claire had previously received support there. She said, “They are just such a fantastic charity. They supported me because I had reported an historic domestic abuse crime and I was referred to them for counselling.

“They are not government funded and have to raise every penny themselves; when we told them they were nearly in tears.”

The band decided to call time on the project due to busy schedules, as all five singers continue to perform in their own bands.

Looking back on 10 years of live shows, Claire said highlights for the group have been the “friendships, laughter and camaraderie.”

Camaraderie

She added, “When my mum died, I went out the next night and did a gig because I knew they would be there to pick me up if I fell. That is the type of camaraderie we have.

“We have just become such firm friends. Considering we are all from different walks of life and different bands, we have just become a little family.”

As a thank you for all of their fundraising work, the band have received a Civic Award, a thank you from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and a letter from Queen Camilla.

Although this was their farewell fundraising gig, Female of the Species are still available for events and can be contacted via their Facebook page.