Comedy stars Hugh Dennis, Simon Brodkin and Travis Jay tickled funnybones to raise funds in memory of an inspirational Hampstead teacher.
April Foolery, an evening of stand-up and jazz at West End theatre The Criterion, added £15,000 to the £50,000-strong Lund Fund set up in the name of the late UCS teacher David Lund.
Hosted by Outnumbered and The Now Show star Hugh Dennis, who was head boy at UCS in the 1970s, the evening saw around 500 guests enjoy an evening of hilarity with sets from Dennis' Mock The Week co-stars Angela Barnes and Rhys James, alongside comedy from rising stars Glenn Moore and Ania Magliano.
Former Eastside participant Rimay Harlow read her poem 'My identity' before the evening rounded off with barnstorming sets by Travis Jay and Simon Brodkin, who is also a former UCS pupil.
The cash raised will allow Hackney-based youth arts charity Eastside to offer creative learning opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Eastside's CEO and artistic director Matt Lane, who went to UCS and was taught by Lund, set up the fund in 2018 with a £10,000 bequest from David Lund's will.
"David Lund dedicated his life to inspiring thousands of pupils to reach their creative potential through his passion for the arts, literature, comedy and jazz," he said.
"The best way to honour David's memory and his wonderful generosity was to set up The Lund Fund, with the aim of turning this £10,000 gift into £1 million."
Lane praised The National Youth Jazz Orchestra who played on the night.
"What a night! I will never forget how our youthful house jazz band (The National Youth Jazz Orchestra) ignited the evening and played on each of the seven dazzling standup comedians who had The Criterion audience roaring with laughter. I offer my sincerest thanks to the artists, technicians, staff, the venue and volunteers who all gave their time for free to deliver such a brilliant showcase of top class comedy, jazz and spoken word to raise much needed funds for Eastside’s vital work with young people. "
"We’ve still got some way to go before we meet our grand target of £1 million which is why I would love to hear from those who want to reach out and help us even more."
Eastside is looking to recruit Eastside Angels to act as ambassadors. More details at https://www.eastside.org.uk/support/eastside-angels
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