The voice star Chris Royal is set to join a host of local talent this weekend at the Mothers against violence family fun day in Piccadilly Gardens.
Mothers Against Violence was set up in 1996 by Pasty Mckie after her ‘caring and vibrant’ son Dorrie was shot and killed in Hulme.
Three fatal shootings occurred within a week of his death when Patsy met with other mothers who were fearful for their children the group was born.
Over the last 15 years the group have worked with young people within Manchester and across the world trying to reduce gun crime and gang related violence.
“We have been focusing our efforts on making young people matter, as they are constantly taking on things and learning from their surroundings and from those around them,” Patsy told MM.
“The government has been saying that ‘every child matters’ but you have to actually make them matter, it goes further that just saying it. We all need to think about how we do that.
“We need to listen to them, encourage them and inspire them.”
Saturday’s event begins at 1pm and alongside Chris many other talented performers will get up on stage to entertain the crowd.
Chris impressed both judges and viewers with his powerful yet silky vocals and made it through to the semi-finals, just missing out on a top three spot.
Under the wing of Kaiser Chief frontman Ricky Wilson, Chris sailed through the contest by putting his own individual spin on old school classics whilst picking up an army of supporters.
“I applied for the voice because I felt like it wasn’t the kind of show where you didn’t have to sell your soul to get somewhere, they didn’t try and put words into your mouth, I was just a guy from Manchester who loved to sing,” Chris said.
“It was an amazing experience and I’m so grateful for all the support. Since the competition I’ve been gigging a lot and working on my EP and having song writing sessions with Ricky.”
During the contest Chris lost his father but continued the competition with the support of his family despite going through a seriously tragic time.
“My dad passed the day before my battle and those few auditions were weird because it was so fresh but in some ways the competition kind of took my mind off it and it really hit me after the show,” he said.
“Last week it was the first time I sat down thought about it all and wrote a song about it all, that track will definitely make the EP.
“I’m trying to find the balance with taking my time but not taking too long, my sound is neo soul jazz music and so it’s been great to work on and perform the stuff I love and share it with others.”
Chris grew up in Fallowfield near Alexandra Park, and although he moved to London two years ago, Chris says ‘it’s good to be home’.
He says he is looking forward to playing to a home crowd and excited for his family and friends to see him perform.
The event is a celebration of the organisation and is a great opportunity to spread the work that the group does within communities to reduce the level of gun crime.
Patsy said: “We have been encouraged by the drop in gun violence and we think we have a real part to play in that by standing up. Before that people were grumbling but no one was taking a stand, talking to the media and the police and the home office in relation to gun crime, so it’s great to see change.”
The event starts at 1pm on Saturday. To find out more about Mothers Agaist violence and the event, click here.
Image courtesy of the BBC, via YouTube, with thanks.
