Pop Idol Mark Rhodes back for city tribute show

Black Country TV star Mark Rhodes will revisit his pop star past for the first time in three years at a tribute concert for his late nephew.

The former Pop Idol star, from Darlaston, will join comedy partner Sam Nixon on stage in Wolverhampton on Saturday November 6 to honour the memory of Tom Robbins, who died last year, aged 19.

Sam and Mark, who shared a UK number one with a cover of A Little Help From My Friends in 2004, will perform in aid of the charity Whizz-Kids, which provides specially adapted wheelchairs for disabled young people.

The charity gave Tom, of Bradmore, Wolverhampton, his last wheelchair to help him retain some independence during his battle with the de-generative illness spinal muscular atrophy and Wolves fan Mark will be donating all proceeds to the cause as a thank you.

The event is hoped to raise up to £4,000 from ticket sales as well as a raffle and charity auction. Items up for grabs will include a Wolves shirt signed by the current first team, a World Cup football signed by David Beckham and a signed Andy Murray tennis shirt.

"It will be almost exactly a year to the day since Tom passed away on the night so it will be a really nice way to remember him by and it will show friends and family how special Tom was," said Mark.

Among the set list will be the only planned public airing of Please Believe, a song Mark wrote in memory of Tom, and several new tracks written by Mark and Sam.

Fans will also be treated to some uncharacteristic rock-tinged covers of Foo Fighters and Kings of Leon hits, in tribute to Tom's love of rock and heavy metal music.

Up to 75 tickets for the gig are on sale now for £10 each and are available through the website www.samandmark.com

Details of the venue, which is being kept under wraps for security purposes, will be revealed when requests are made.

A meet and greet session will also take place after the concert where fans can mingle with the performers and collect autographs.

Mark is also aiming to run the London Marathon next year in aid of the Whizz-Kids charity.