Midlands band, Miccoli, to play at some of the UK’s busiest shopping malls as part of nationwide awareness campaign in partnership with leading cardiac charity
On Saturday 30th August, family rock trio, Miccoli launched their nationwide tour of large shopping centres across the UK to raise awareness – particularly amongst a young audience – for the charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). The tour will last until February 2015 and you can find out more about where they will be performing by going to the Online map of their tour dates and venues.
The tour sees the siblings that make up Miccoli (Alessandro, Adriano and Francesca) travel from Swindon to Slough and Leeds to London as they perform weekend, “day-long” sessions to shoppers, in a bid to spread the word about CRY and the work it does to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in young people.
The band has a very personal and poignant association with the charity, following the diagnosis of 29 year old, Alessandro with a condition known as Wollf-Parkinson White (WPW). Although Alessandro had been born with the condition, he remained unaware until a frightening episode when he collapsed back stage after a gig in Birmingham in 2009. He has since undergone four rounds of a corrective surgery – a procedure known as ablation and whilst the band continue to write and perform their music, Alessandro is waiting for the final all-clear from his consultant, after his most recent, and hopefully final, treatment.
Alessandro says; “This experience has taught me not to take anything for granted and to really appreciate family and friends. For me it all boiled down to two simple choices, cry or laugh. I chose the latter, accepting my condition and carrying on with my life – and not let this potentially depressing and life threatening condition dominate my life.”
“Young people don’t carry life’s excess baggage. Having spent a lot of time in consultations and on hospital wards, I quickly became aware how the older generation found it more difficult to cope and to come to terms with their condition. This tour is all about educating and informing people that there are ways to stay ahead of these conditions to take steps to find out if you might be at risk. If you are, then don’t panic, you can be successfully treated and go on to lead a normal life. I just don’t want any other young people out there, with their life ahead of them, to leave it until they collapse as I did and have to undergo emergency treatment – or even worse.”
Every week, 12 young (aged 35 and under) people lose their lives to sudden cardiac death in the UK – a statistic that is believed to be a conservative estimate. 80% of these apparently healthy young people will have shown no previous sign of heart defects, until it is too late.
That’s why CRY believes screening is so vitally important and campaigns for access to cardiac testing for people aged 14-35. CRY’s pioneering screening programme now tests around 15,000 young people nationwide every year. In Italy, where screening is mandatory for all young people involved in regular sporting activity–even at grass-roots level -the death rate has dropped by almost 90%
Alison Cox MBE, Chief Excecutive and Founder of CRY says; “We are delighted that Miccoli has decided to take on this huge tour for us. They are an immensely talented young, upcoming band and their passion and enthusiasm for CRY will play a crucial role in communicating our important messages about screening and the other specialist services we offer for families and young people affected by the conditions that can cause young sudden cardiac death.”
“As one of our young ‘role models’, Alessandro is also a member of our “myheart” group and last Autumn attended a prestigious event at the House of Commons during our Awareness Week, to help launch a new resource, especially designed to support other young people who have recently been diagnosed with a heart condition. It is therefore very fitting that the Miccoli tour will culminate during CRY Awareness Week in November and, as we approach our 20th anniversary in 2015, they are truly representing a new generation of ambassadors for our charity”
Event write ups
Howard Centre, Welwyn Garden City 14th-15th February 2015
The Howard Centre was the thirteenth and final stop for the Miccoli Awareness Tour. The band performed throughout Saturday and were thrilled with the response they received…Read More
Intu, Derby 22nd-23rd November 2014
Miccoli’s twelth and final weekend of their tour during 2014 took them to Derby where they performed at the Intu Shopping Centre at West Mall. There was a great response…Read More
Intu, Bromley 15th November 2014
Miccoli received a wonderful response from the shoppers in Bromley. The band was really well received and they raised a lot of awareness for CRY…Read More
Intu Chapelfield, Norwich 8th-9th November 2014
Miccoli’s tenth weekend of their tour was in Norwich’s Intu Chapelfield shopping centre and was a very busy one for the band. The family trio had a really positive…Read More
Broadmarsh Intu, Nottingham 1st-2nd November 2014
During Miccoli’s appearance at the Nottingham shopping centre, they were approached by several bereaved families who shared their stories with the band...Read More
The Mall, Camberley 18th-19th October
Miccoli started off their weekend in Surrey with an appearance on Radio BBC Surrey on Friday 17th October. They were very well received… Read More
Queensmere Observatory, Slough 11th-12th October
Miccoli’s weekend at Slough was a big success and felt like their best weekend yet! Crowds formed to watch the band…Read More
Telford Shopping Centre, 4th-5th October
The Miccoli’s weekend at Telford Shopping was a big success. It started off with a spot on BBC Radio Shropshire …Read More
The Brunel Centre, Swindon 27th-28th September
The weekend in Swindon was a success for Miccoli; on Friday 26th September they were interviewed for BBC Wiltshire…Read More
The Grafton Centre, Cambridge 20-21st September
The fourth date on the Miccoli tour brought the band to Cambridge at the Grafton Centre. Unfortunately due to being located in a congested part…Read More
The Lights Centre, Leeds 13-14th September
Last weekend Miccoli played at The Lights centre in Leeds. This pretty Centre was fairly quiet with more restaurants than …Read more
The Kingfisher Shopping Centre, Redditch 6-7th September
This weekend found the Miccoli band in Redditch at the Kingfisher Shopping Centre. This event had a very successful…Read more
Whiteley Shopping Centre, Hampshire 30 – 31st August
On the 30th August Miccoli began their raising awareness tour for CRY. The first weekend event took place at the …Read more