Community fun day held in memory of Bradley Hughes raises £1.5k for project set up in his name

A community fun day, run by a Wrexham-based dance and performing arts academy in memory of the owner’s teenage son, has raised over £1,500 for a project set up in his name.

Hundreds of people attended Delta Academy of Dance and Performing Arts’ family fun day last weekend, which took place at the company’s dance studios in Queensway.

The main focus of the event was to raise money for The Bradley Project, which will be a dedicated room at the Academy in memory of Bradley Hughes, who was the son of Delta owner, Diane Hughes.

The Project will be a studio and safe haven at Delta for local children to experiment with music.

Bradley sadly passed away in March this year, at the age of 19, having taken his own life. He had struggled with mental health issues, including depression, from childhood.

Although he didn’t always find the words to speak openly about his mental health anguish, he was a keen singer, songwriter and rapper and he found solace in expressing himself through his music, which in turn became his substitute to self harm.

Dianne Hughes, owner of Delta Academy of Dance and Performing Arts, said: “Thank you to everyone who helped raise money in Bradley’s memory – from those who helped out to those who came to support it.

“Our thanks go to all the individuals and businesses who donated raffle prizes; to all the stallholders who came to share the day with us; to the children who danced their hearts out; and to those who prepared and tidied up afterwards. What an awesome day we had, and for a wonderful cause.

“The sun certainly shone for us and Bradley would have had a ball.”

She added: “This wasn’t just a fundraiser for Bradley though, this was to build community spirit and to encourage the local community to come and see what we do here at Delta – and to feel that they are, and can be, a part of that.

“We were particularly pleased that some of our stallholders were local residents who had come to support our event.

“One local lady came along and told me that she lives across the road from Delta, but had never been in before and that she thought it was absolutely lovely. So it was also worth doing the fun day to meet our neighbour.”

Local resident Shauni Thomas, who hosted the Scentimental Wax stall at the fun day, said: “The Delta fun day not only brought a new event to the community, but it also brought other areas together.

“My children loved the fun day and, as a parent, it was lovely to spend an afternoon having fun with other families. It was great to see everyone mixing.”

The total raised at the fun day so far is £1504.60

Dianne said: “The event was also a reward day for our pupils who had just taken their exams. I wanted Delta’s positive up-beat attitude to radiate into the community, and I believe that we achieved that.

“It is also wonderful to know that our recording studio dream, in Bradley’s name, is one step closer to becoming a reality.”

Donations can still be made for The Bradley Project at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bradleysproject

The next Delta performance takes place on Sunday June 30. The Musicals takes place at 1pm and 5pm at William Aston Hall. Tickets are £10 and £12 and are available by emailing: [email protected]; or phone 01978 313444. More details are also available at www.deltaacademy.co.uk