HE MAY be one the biggest rock legends on the planet, but Bruce Springsteen still found time to help one local charity in desperate need of money during his recent performance in Coventry.
Springsteen, or ‘The Boss’ as he is commonly known to his loyal followers, recently performed on front of thousands of fans at the Ricoh Arena as part of his The River Tour 2016.
Before he arrive in Coventry, Springsteen was approached by a volunteer at Zoe’s Place, Norman Miller, who penned a letter to Springsteen telling him about the hospice, which is based just a stone’s throw away from the Ricoh Arena.
The hospice, which is based in Ash Green, is looking to hit a £1.3million fundraising target which will enable them to provide round the clock palliative, respite and end-of-life care for infants aged 0-5 years with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.
To his amazement, volunteer Norman got a response to meet Springsteen during his short stop in the city and the ‘Born in the USA’ singer handed over £1,000 after hearing about Zoe’s Place.
“Norman told Bruce all about what we do here at Zoe’s Place and we’re absolutely over the moon that he has decided to donate this large sum of money,” said fundraising manager Mick McCann.
“We didn’t think Norman was going to get a response so to get this sort of attention is really fantastic for us. It has such a positive impact on all of the staff here because he is a megastar.
“We had Gary Barlow here a few years ago and that really helped raise our profile.
“Bruce actually wanted to come and visit the hospice but he couldn’t fit it into his busy schedule. Hopefully one day ‘The Boss’ will come along in the future.
“It’s fantastic that someone of his stature can take the time out of his busy schedule to meet one of our volunteers and hand over a personal donation. It’s really heartening for everyone involved with Zoe’s Place.
Last year a decision was made to open Zoe’s Place for seven days a week after income through the generosity of people doubled from £500,000 to just over £1.2million.
It has meant that fundraisers are being urged to dig deeper, cycle further and run faster than ever with £25 providing one hour of care for a baby.
Mike added: “My message although it is fantastic to have these star supporters is that we rely so much on out local support to help reach our £1.3million target.
“There are people doing all sorts of things from riding from Coventry to Newquay and taking part in the Grin and Bear It event last weekend.
“Lots and lots of people are doing so many things and we really do appreciate every bit of help and support we get.
“We need to be open everyday and I’m hopeful we can make our target – fingers crossed.”
