THE organiser of a music event in aid of market traders affected by the recent fire says he has been blown away by the amazing support of the public.

Iain Stead has been busy putting plans in place to ensure that the town centre will be ‘painted with music’ on February 1.

Over 30 venues have currently signed up to be involved in the event, which will see musicians and acts performing across the town centre next month.

And all proceeds raised by the event will be donated to the market traders who lost everything during the fire which ripped through Northwich Outdoor Market.

“Everything is going amazingly well so far, and the response from the people of Northwich has been unbelievable,” said Iain.

“Artists and bands will be performing in bars, pubs, coffee shops, hairdressers and restaurants across the town centre.

“We have also now secured the use of The Plaza for the main stage, and it is great to bring the venue back to life.

“Over 100 musicians and bands have offered their services, and we are currently sorting out who is playing where at what time, which is a bit of a logistical nightmare, but all in all, things are going really well.”

The event will be made up of local talents, who were all quick to pledge their support to help all those who lost thousands of pounds worth of stock during the blaze.

“I am a music promoter by trade, and I have a policy of never asking acts to play for nothing,” Iain continued.

“But on this occasion, we thought we would do something different and host it in the town centre where the market is based.

“Within minutes after putting something on social media, we had around 20 acts saying that they wanted to help, and after I went to make a cup of tea, we had another 20 pledging their support.”

And it is not just venues in the town centre that have put their hands up to help.

“We will now even have music events going on in the surrounding areas such as Hartford, Lostock and Rudheath,” Iain added.

“Having the community come together in this way for such a good cause is quite special and great to see.

“All proceeds will be going towards those who lost everything in the fire, so come down, get involved and put some money in buckets.”

For more information about the event and to see how you can get involved, visit facebook.com/groups/606493103516631/.