Highland charity rock concert is cancelled

ORGANISERS have pulled the plug on a major concert featuring rock legends Status Quo, which was to have raised up to £250,000 for a Highland charity.

The Rock 4 Life gig near Inverness was originally planned as a two-day event on 1 and 2 May, but promoters blamed "cash-flow problems" for the cancellation.

The concert was beset with difficulties from the outset. First, the venue was switched from Bogbain Farm, on the southern outskirts of the city, to Whiteness, some ten miles to the east, due to licensing issues.

Earlier this month, the second day of the show, due to include pop acts the Sugababes and McFly plus R&B singer Lemar, was called off with just 477 of the 20,000 tickets sold.

Promoters Caledonian Productions suspended remaining ticket sales on Wednesday and later confirmed the entire event was off.

However, disgruntled fans who had bought tickets for the event found no information on the Caledonian Productions or Rock 4 Life websites yesterday.

David Welch, director of fundraising and communications at the Highland Hospice, said the loss of the promised cash would not affect the charity's work.