Rock on the Rooftop raises money for local charity

The sell-out event raises much-needed cash for St Anne’s Hospice every year, and features a variety of live music from local bands and musicians as well as a buffet and auction.

Celtic Manor Resort hosted the event, which was in its seventh year, and featured pop and rock, blues, jazz and swing bands for the rooftop party.

Each year, Celtic Manor offers a rooftop terrace and a buffet banquet free of charge, meaning every penny raised during the event goes to the hospice. Organisers hope around £20,000 will have been raised on the day.

Tania Ansell, one of the main organisers of the event, said it had been a “great success” with the allocated 350 tickets having been sold out.

She said: “It’s been brilliant. The auction has gone really well and it’s great to see people getting engaged and the local community supporting whether it’s buying a balloon or spending lots of money at auction.

“This one has been the biggest so far and thankfully the rain has stayed away as well!”

She added: “It’s a chance for old and new friends to get together and support a local cause. There is a great atmosphere here and it goes on until the early hours of the morning. We are hoping to raise £20,000 just from today which is crucial for the charity.

“We reach around 4,000 patients every year and we wouldn’t be able to do that if we didn’t have events like this.”

Big Mac's Wholly Soul Band from Newport were headlining again this year, with performances beginning at 1pm and continuing throughout the day.

Other performers included the Switchtones, Steve Doolan’s Trio and Kixx Dance, the Bellagio Boys, Gin Palace featuring Becky Barnbrook, Brother Ray duo and Perfect Day Party Band.

Signed memorabilia were also contributed to the event by Kelvin Reddicliffe, manager at Timpsons in Newport. These included a framed guitar scratch plate and snare drum skin signed by Kelly Jones of The Stereophonics, and signed green baize from snooker players at the 2013 Welsh Open.