Moody Blues bassist and vocalist John Lodge admits he was “overwhelmed” when a recent auction raised $60,000 for his charity devoted to helping underprivileged children.
The band offered tickets for a box at the O2 in London for their concert in June, and fans’ response beat all expectations. Now the Barbados-based Sandy Lane Charitable Trust, of which Lodge is a trustee, will benefit from the sale.
He tells Prog Magazine: “The Sandy Lane Hotel is one of the great hotels of the world. They do things right. I was honoured to be asked to be involved.
“We send children to hospitals in the USA and Cuba for life-saving and life-changing operations. We’ve built the Sunshine Village here in Barbados and we’ve built the John Payne School of Excellence, named after a late trustee.”
Since no money is withdrawn to cover administration, 100% of cash raised goes to the charity’s work. “I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the people who bid in the auction,” Lodge says. “When we offered the box we had no idea if it would be successful. You can only hope.”
He doesn’t believe there’s a moral responsibility for successful musicians to become involved in charitable work. “That brings ‘mathematics of life’ into the equation,” he reflects. “If you can help, help. It’s all about karma in my world. You can’t turn your back on someone who needs help – it’s as simple as that.”
And Lodge reaps personal benefits all the time. “You’ll see a child who’s been abandoned because he or she has a disability that the mother or father can’t deal with. That child is brought to the Sunshine Village, and is shown love and care. After a few years that child develops and is given hope.
“I recently drove through a security gate and a young guard stopped me. I thought, ‘Okay, what have I done?’ But he said, ‘Mr Lodge, thank you – I was one of the children you and the charity helped.’ The remarkable is all around you.”
Find out more about the Sandy Lodge Charitable Trust.
Moody Blues UK tour
Jun 05: New Theatre, Oxford
Jun 06: St David’s Hall, Cardiff
Jun 08: LG Arena, Birmingham
Jun 09: Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
Jun 11: City Hall, Newcastle
Jun 12: Apollo, Manchester
Jun 14: City Hall, Sheffield
Jun 15: Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham
Jun 17: Ipswich Regent, Ipswich
Jun 18: Plymouth Pavillions, Plymouth
Jun 19: Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth
Jun 21: Brighton Centre, Brighton
Jun 22: O2 Arena, London
Jun 23: The Hippodrome, Bristol