Fundraiser for Autistic Society

The event is being organised by Chris Davis, who runs Arundel’s Willows Folk Club, and also by Claire Booth, of Worthing, mum to three boys aged between two and six. Her middle son Jude, aged four and a half, was diagnosed with autism.

Claire captured her efforts to communicate with him in the song Jude’s Lullaby. You can listen to it via Claire’s ReverbNation page: http://www.reverbnation.com/clairebooth.

“We found out that he was autistic when he was a couple of years old. He is just in his own little world most of the time. He has got his own little ways of doing things. Trying to break down the barriers that he puts up can be quite difficult. It’s a song about how I try to get myself into his world.

“He has started at special school recently - the Palatine in Worthing. They have done wonders for him. We have noticed a great difference through the school. He is communicating more. With us, quite a lot of the time, he is not there. It is almost like he is glazed over. You talk to him and he doesn’t hear you. But more and more he is coming out of that.

“I didn’t sit down to write the song. I usually just sit down and twiddle around on my guitar. With this, I just started off with a melody, and the words just came out. I had a particularly good day with him the day before. I managed to write about it in half an hour. I usually find that happens with most of my song-writing. By the time I put the guitar down, I have finished the song.”

In fact, Claire hast just finished an album featuring nine songs, eight her own, called Your World. It will be available from iTunes and also through her ReverbNation page.

Chris and Claire are hosting the fund-raising concert on Saturday, March 10 at St. Mary’s Church Hall in Goring.

Chris said: “It features Claire and me, and a number of superb special guests, for an evening of acoustic rock, pop, folk & country. The tickets are £5 each, and 100 per cent of all profits will be going to the National Autistic Society. For me, this is one of the most important projects I’ve ever been involved in and something that really means a lot to me on a personal level.”

Tickets on [email protected] or 07790 511054.