Concert in memory of murdered schoolgirl Christina Edkins to raise cash for community
A rock concert is to be held in memory of murdered teenager Christina Edkins in the hope of raising funds to improve the community where she went to school.
Local bands will perform on stage at the event which has been organised by Dave Williamson, a friend of Christina's father.
Money raised from the show will be used to begin the refurbishment of Halesowen's scout hut in Mucklow Hill.
The 16-year-old was stabbed to death on a bus on the way to school in March 2013.
It was after her tragic death that Mr Williamson got back in touch with her father Jason.
The builder, of Howdle's Lane, Brownhills, was desperate to help and agreed to organise the rock concert, which will be held at the Asylum in Birmingham next month.
He said: "Her parents wanted to do this, they wanted to help out children.
"They saw this as a good project, it's something they though Christina would like."
As a father of two girls himself, Mr Williamson was struck by the schoolgirl's death.
She had been due to sit a GCSE mock exam at Leasowes High School in Halesowen as she worked towards her dream of being a nurse.
But just seconds after sitting down on a double-decker in Birmingham she was stabbed to death in a spontaneous and motiveless attack.
Mr Williamson said: "I never knew Christina but when I found out who it was I felt grief.
"It was almost like I'd lost one of my own family.
"I thought about what I would feel, what it would be like - I can't imagine."
Mr Williamson estimates around £40,000 is needed to fund the complete revamp of the scout hut.
He hopes the concert will bring in enough to get the ball rolling.
"I wanted to do something to help and the family wanted to keep her memory alive," he said.
"It's a good opportunity for the public to show their feelings about what happened and raise a bit of money for a good cause.
"The scout hut is in use but it is not ideal.
"It is so expensive for them to run. The heating costs are astronomical and they can't cater for the disabled because they haven't got disabled toilets."
Tickets for the show, a Night of Rock in Memory of Christina Edkins, on March 14 can be bought from www.theasylumvenue.co.uk
