Ragstock
| Ragstock | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | annually |
| Inaugurated | August 11, 2007 |
Ragstock is an annual concert based in South London. The event is designed to help Londoners celebrate the summer by bringing together some of the country’s best up and coming bands. All money raised from Ragstock is donated to Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign. The name Ragstock is taken from the surnames of the event organisers; Nick Stocker and Rag Bhalla. Both Nick and Rag's mothers were treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital Sutton and the event is designed to help support the specialist hospital in helping those whose lives are affected by cancer.
Ragstock 1
The first Ragstock was held on Saturday August 11, 2007 at GJs Bar in Wandsworth, making use of the large beer garden and heated marquee and the free hog-roast. Attended by over 220 people, the event was a deemed a success and raised £1,850 for the Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign. The live acoustic sets performed on the night featured members of the bands Hansom Pilot, The Roscoes, and Arkham Razor, to name a few.
Ragstock 2
The event was held on Saturday 13 September 2008. The second Ragstock was similar in concept to the inaugural event at GJs Bar in Wandsworth. Again live music sets from Andrew Martin, B & Jean and Gasperilla fired up the night. A charity auction helped raise as much money as possible for the event, including a fully signed England cricket bat, fully signed Ireland rugby shirt and fully signed Team GB Olympic tracksuit. The event grew in size from the first year with 250+ attending and raised £2200 which was all given to Royal Marsden Cancer charity.
Ragstock 3
The third Ragstock was a smaller affair in the Courtyard Garden of Anurag Bhalla. The key element of the event was still at the heart of Ragstock - live, acoustic music. This year, solo artists including Chris Naunton's Mandolin played to a smaller crowd. Each ticket cost £20 which included free drinks and food all night. With over 150 people attending, raising over £3,000 for the Royal Marsden, the overall total for the first three Ragstock events reached almost £10,000.