TALENTED performers from across the arts took part in a charity concert to support Western African villages affected by the Ebola outbreak.

A total of 42 musicians, singers and poets from the south performed at the fundraising event held at the Talking Heads in Portswood Road.

The event was organised by Jonathan Fashole-Luke, managing director of Golden Groove Entertainment, after he noticed a post on social media that the venue was available for bookings that day.

Jonathan, many of whose family lives in Ebola-hit Sierra Leone, was humbled after the venue waived usual hire costs and supplied the sound engineer for free, and all performers took part free of charge.

More than 100 people attended the event to watch vocalist Gemma Jayne Heale, Jonathan himself, Myke Dale, Matthew Brompton, The Sea Slugs, and The Plug and Players among a packed roster of performers.

Sal Chitulu and Larry Kazingiyi, two African immigrant youth workers who run the Route to Roots hip-hop collective, were comperes on the night.

Around £1,000 was raised in cash donations on the night and Talking Heads owner Guy Benfield and regular Peter Northam donated CDs and records to help raise more money.

The donations are being sent to Mercy Outreach Ministries International, an organisation founded to help vulnerable people in impoverished parts of Sierra Leone.

Jonathan said: “For an event that was put into motion just nine days before it’s realisation this has been a tremendous community achievement which has not only helped to raise awareness about the epidemic crisis in Western Africa but has also raised hundreds of pounds which can be used to protect people in vulnerable areas and save lives.

“The concert was enhanced by the availability of The Talking Heads’ beautiful grand piano and a special mention must go to the in-house promoter and sound engineer Richard Harper, who did an incredible job catering for so many different line-ups and stage requirements over the course of the evening.”