Phoenix Night’s Dave Spikey gifts show fee to charity

Dave, who played Jerry St Clair in Phoenix Nights, which he co-wrote with Peter Kay, handed over his entire box office payment to Rosemere Cancer Foundation, which added up to just shy of £6,300.

Dave, who worked at Royal Bolton Hospital, said: “My fantastic kid brother Peter was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when he was 20 and given little chance of survival, but after aggressive chemo and radiotherapy at The Christie, he pulled through.

“He was in remission for over 25 years against all the odds.

“This gave him time to marry and raise two lovely children.

“Sadly, he relapsed with liver cancer, most likely triggered by his aggressive chemotherapy, and attended Rosemere Cancer Centre for scans and treatment.

“I brought him on several occasions because he could no longer drive. He died in 2008 just short of his 50th birthday.”

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Dave said: “In recent years, I visited a fan, Emma, who was undergoing chemo there and contacted me to ask if I would join her during a session and cheer her up a bit!  

“Emma was a beautiful, vivacious, brave lady with a young family who on the day, turned the tables on me and cheered me up considerably. It was an immense sadness when I learned that she didn’t make it.”

Dave added: “More recently, I have again sat in a chemo session with one of my very best friends ever and once again, was hugely impressed by the upbeat staff, who generate such a welcoming environment and bring smiles to every face despite the underlying worry and sadness of their situations.

“That is all in addition to the wonderful work they do in contributing to research and clinical trials.”

Fundraising manager for Rosemere Cancer Foundation, Sue Swire, met Dave at the theatre prior to his Burnley gig.

She said: “Dave is a lovely gentleman. We are immensely grateful to him for supporting us.

“I know from a colleague who attended the show that Dave gave a great performance and was really funny. He even received a standing ovation from some members of his audience.

“At the end of his set, Dave also did a little tribute to Rosemere Cancer Centre staff, which was very kind of him and much appreciated.”

Among other causes that Dave, who worked for the NHS for 32 years and was Chief Biomedical Scientist in Haematology at the Royal Bolton Hospital before switching to show business full-time 25 years ago, has championed are Chorley’s Derian House Children’s Hospice and Bolton-based domestic abuse charity Endeavour. He also supports a number of animal charities