A music-mad GCSE student from Sale is organising a festival this June to raise money for a sports club in Ashton upon Mersey – and it will be quite the feat.
Louis Pearson, head boy of Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College, is overseeing the Sound Wave Music Festival to support Mersey Valley Sports Club at the club’s ground on June 3.
The 16-year-old’s show will feature tribute acts for Freddie Mercury, Robbie Williams, and Lionel Richie alongside the Manchester-based John Cooper Band and DJ Andy Daniels.
Louis said: “I’ve got a massive passion for music. That’s all I do. It’s been so cool doing this festival.
“I want it to be a night everyone can enjoy because they know the music and can dance and sing along.
“There have been so many hiccups! It has been eye-opening. We found out that the FA Cup final is on the same day so we’re sourcing big screens so we can supply the football as well as the music.”
Louis, who does marketing and social media work for Mersey Valley Sports Club, is not a huge sports fan himself, but is hoping his passion for music can fuel more funding for the club through ticket sales, sponsorship, and donations.
The club, which offers football sessions and teams for children aged four right through to veterans, will put the funds towards a new all-weather pitch and a new grass pitch.
Louis’ ambition is to be a professional pop singer with songs in the charts and he has accepted an offer to study at the BIMM Music Institute in Manchester next year.
The ambitious teen has previously performed at the Bridgewater Hall, Altrincham Market Hall, and Manchester Cathedral, having been accepted into the Hallé Choir at a young age and gone on to sing solo.
He currently has his own single, titled Only You, out on Spotify and other streaming platforms, and counts artists such as Elton John and band James among his early inspirations.
His dad, Anthony Pearson, said: “We’re amazingly proud. There’s not a lot of lads out there like him, to be honest.
“He’s always been busy ever since he was a child. He’s always done something, whether it’s car washing, delivering for people, going shopping for elderly neighbours. He’s always kept himself really busy. He’s an amazing lad.”
Mersey Valley Sports Club director John Worrall said: “Louis is fantastic. Full of enthusiasm. He’s really got on and sorted everything out – the stage, the acts, the food vans, the toilets, the security, the first-aid, the licence, all of these things. I’m really proud of him.”
Worrall, who has been with the club since 1988, added: “I go back a little further with my music taste! But I like all the acts that he has picked and they’re all good.”
To find out more about the festival, you can check out its website at this link.
Featured image credit: Louis Pearson.
