It was a fabulous evening of song and fantastic guitar playing as a select group of music enthusiasts gathered for what has been reported as being “the best music event ever held in Pakenham Village Hall”.

Not only Pakenham residents but those from wider Suffolk and Norfolk along with a healthy number from all parts of Essex attended the event.

Sally Barker and Brooks Williams played a selection of numbers from years of song writing and collecting, supported by guitar playing from both of them.

The pair met when Brooks was making his latest album ‘My Turn Now’ on which Sally did some guest vocals and have had a long and varied career.

Known most recently for her appearance on “The Voice”, on which the Leicester lass managed to reduce Tom Jones to tears, Sally has also supported Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, sung with the reformed Sandy Denny’s Fotheringay and, for many years, led all female folk band The Poozies.

Brooks hails from Statesboro, Georgia, the town made famous by country-blues legend Blind Willie McTell. Ranked in the “Top 100 Acoustic Guitarists”, his music is a fusion of blues, old country and a touch of Americana.

And it all added up to just over £400 being raised for the My WiSH Charity with 75% of the money directed to the MacMillan Unit at the West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, and the rest to village hall funds.

Raffle prizes were also donated by the pair.

Organiser of the evening Roger Harnor said: “The weather was not kind to us but it was a jolly good evening and we have had lots of positive feedback.”

The 65-year-old paid tribute to his wife Sue who helped him with the organisation of the event along with people in the village and said it was held as thank you to the unit for the treatment he received.

He said he suffered from bowel cancer after taking the screening test and added: “It’s a personal thing for me and I have also lost some friends to cancer so it seemed a worthwhile cause.”

Fundraising manager, Sue Smith said “We can’t thank Roger and Sue enough for their continued fundraising and support. We know they work so hard to hold these events and their money really does make a difference to cancer patients treated here at West Suffolk Hospital”.