‘Rocking verger’ raises more than £500 for dementia charity

A verger at All Saints Church in Paston has raised £585 for a leading dementia charity - by belting out classic rock and roll tunes.

Singer Lance Bloom treated members of the Peterborough Conservative Club to a night of old-school rock and roll last month, crooning through a set list of cool 1950s tunes in aid of Alzheimer’s Society.

The spritely 81-year-old – who was a proud ‘teddy boy’ in his youth – was joined on stage by wife Sandra, and by long-time friend Norman Simmonds.

“A good time was had by all,” Lance said: “Everyone was rocking and rolling.”

The veteran crooner told the Peterborough Telegraph that the charity is very close to his heart.

“My wife Sandra has had Alzheimer’s for seven years now,” he shared.

The pastor explained that he has became a frequent visitor to the Alzheimer’s Society on York Road since Sandra’s diagnosis:

“I go to the carers’ meeting once a week, when I can,” he said, “and we all sit round and compare notes.”

“A couple of years ago I went on a really in-depth course and learnt about all the different types of dementia,” he explained, adding: “There’s a hundred different types.”

Lance has been a verger at All Saints Church for 40 years, conducting weddings, funerals and “serving wine on Sundays on occasions.”

He explained that he got into his rock and roll ‘side hustle’ 15 years ago, almost on a whim.

“The church used to hold concerts every year and members of the congregation used to put on shows,” he remembered. “So I thought: ‘well perhaps I could put something to it,’ and it started off from there.”

Lance has gone from strength to strength since then, putting on 4-5 gigs a year. These are mostly for charities or for the church, although he does also go to sheltered housing complexes “at Christmas time, when I do rock and roll songs and carols.”

Though Lance’s gigs are intentionally “few and far between” the forever young Walton man says he would do another gig for Alzheimer’s Society at the drop of a hat.

“If the charity wants me to then I’d happily do another one.”

“I’d like to do more for them.”