A MEMORIAL music concert in North Tawton, held to commemorate the life of local woman Gillian Cripps has raised more than £1,000 for charity.

A sizeable audience gathered at North Tawton Town Hall to watch and listen to the special tribute concert to Gillian who sadly lost her battle with cancer on December 30, 2015.

Gillian’s husband Peter Cripps had organised the musical extravaganza in order for friends, family and neighbours to gather in Gillian’s memory, as well as raise money for FORCE — a cancer charity that provides essential cancer treatment and support to those suffering in Exeter and Devon.

Crowds were on their feet by the end of the concert after enjoying performances from the ladies’ a capella group, River City Chorus, of whom Gillian was a former member and The Crippsy Brass Band.

River City Chorus impressed audiences with its repertoire and The Crippsy Brass Band also received a standing ovation for its live music performance. A particularly touching moment for audience members was when Peter began to play a rendition on the trumpet of A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, which he said was one of Gillian’s favourite songs.

Peter said: ‘It was a brilliant, brilliant night! The audience could not stop applauding. We have managed to raise £1,000 with some extra donations that still need to be added.

‘Gill and I were married for 35 years — she was my very best friend and I shall miss her dearly. Around 200 people attended her funeral, which just goes to show how well-known and well-loved she was.

‘She was a beautiful singer with the perfect pitch, in fact she had the voice of an angel. The concert was a lovely way to honour her memory. I wish to send my sincere ­thanks to everyone who performed as well as the wonderful community of North Tawton, who have been fantastic. For all of your help, support and kind donations I cannot thank you enough.’

All of the money raised by the concert will go to FORCE. There was also £790 raised by donations at Gillian’s funeral earlier this year and the money was then given to the Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF), a charity which was close to Gillian’s heart.

Gillian was first diagnosed with cancer in 2007 before she was given the all-clear seven years later in 2014. Peter said that they had both never felt so relieved.

However, sadly two years later Gillian began getting similar symptoms to the ones she had previously.

Peter said ‘she often got night sweats’ and would be feeling generally poorly. Further blood tests indicated that Gillian had leukaemia.

On Christmas Day 2015 Gillian and her husband had sung Christmas carols, as they did every year, in North Tawton town centre. Peter played with his band The Crippsy Brass Band, and Gillian sang with other members of the community.

However this time when they returned home from the festivities Gillian told Peter that she was tired and wanted to take a nap. This was when Gillian fell into a coma and then sadly past away five days later on December 30, 2015.

Peter said that Gillian, or as he often called her ‘Gilly’, was a warm, caring and loving woman with a passion for music.

He said that the 35 years they were married had been the happiest of his life.