Warren Park fundraiser dresses as Mrs Doubtfire and Christina Aguilera for 365 days of karaoke tunes to support Friends Fighting Cancer
DRESSED up as Barbie, Mrs Doubtfire and more, a dedicated fundraiser has been belting out karaoke tunes for a cancer charity.
For more than 260 consecutive days, Daniel Meech has taken to Facebook to perform songs in a year-long challenge which has so far raised more than £5,000.
Warren Park resident Daniel’s musical efforts are in aid of Friends Fighting Cancer, a Portsmouth-based charity which provides grants to people with the disease.
Daniel, 37, entered a team to the charity’s annual tournament last year in memory of his grandad Joe Neal, a huge influence in Daniel’s life.
Joe was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016, aged 76, and sadly died after a bout of pneumonia.
Daniel, who is taking on this challenge in Joe’s memory, said: ‘My grandad loved the karaoke so I said why don’t I do a karaoke song every day for a year.
‘I have thrown myself in at the deep end. It’s really blown me away. I have had messages from people saying they look forward to my videos every day.
‘We’re over £5,000 which is just incredible, I never thought it would go like that. It’s crazy how much we have raised.’
Performances so far have seen Daniel dressing up as pop icon Christina Aguilera and Robin Williams’ famous character Mrs Doubtfire.
For every £1,000 raised, Daniel has also taken on songs by his least favourite artist, Ed Sheeran.
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Although Daniel’s wife Katie is reluctant to be in the spotlight, eight-year-old Danny and 10-year-old Evie have joined in with tunes.
His first song was You’ll Never Walk Alone, as Joe was a huge Liverpool FC fan.
The challenge begins and ends on May 5, Joe’s birthday, and will finish with the same song.
Daniel said: ‘It’s not just for my grandad, it’s for everyone suffering with cancer, it affects us all.
‘I’m proud to be part of a charity that helps people’s wishes come true.’
Friends Fighting Cancer has a shop in Cosham which is currently closed but is always in need of donations of clothing and books.
Daniel hopes to raise as much money as possible, and has been accepting song requests in return for sponsorship.
Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/daniel-meech2 to donate or visit Daniel Meech’s Facebook page to see the videos each day.