PUPILS from a special school in Longridge were right on song when they hosted a live music concert for charity recently.

On October 15, year 11 BTec music students from St John’s Wood Community School invited Manchester-based band The Rainband to come and perform a short acoustic set and in the process raise some money for the Marco Simoncelli Foundation.

Fellow students and staff attended the event at the 44-pupil school and through cake sales, ticket sales and pledges, £200 was raised for the charity.

The Marco Simoncelli Foundation is a non-profit organisation supporting and promoting humanitarian projects to benefit the disadvantaged Music teacher Mark Bedford said it was a huge achievement for the pupils especially in light of their emotional and behavioural special educational needs.

“The entire day was great fun but seeing all the hard work the Year 11 pupils had put into the project paying off was a personal highlight,” he added.

“The pupils organising the event went about it in a very mature and professional way.”

The pupils organised everything from a health and safety checklist, designing posters and tickets and ensuring the band were looked after during their visit.

Martin Finnigan, the lead singer of the band, spent several hours in the school chatting to staff and pupils before performing the acoustic set, which included their single Rise Again in memory of former World MOTO champion Marco.

Mark added: “We intend to stage similar events in the future, providing our pupils with an opportunity to see professional live bands and enriching their musical education.”

Head Teacher Tony Armstrong said that the music event was a fantastic experience for both pupils and staff.

He added: “The pupils did a wonderful job organising the concert as part of their music exams and did so in a professional way with the support of the music teacher.

“I’m really proud that I work in a school that is able to offer such great opportunities.”