A LOCAL band is hosting a charity concert in aid of a friend battling cancer.

Darlington-based band The Skapones have organised an evening of music at The Forum on Friday October 5.

They will be joined by The Thieves, an up-and-coming mod band from Bishop Auckland, and DJ Sammy Poxon.

The money generated from ticket sales will go towards helping Darlington-born mum-of-four Carol McDermott and her family.

Mrs McDermott was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and is still in an ongoing battle with the disease.

The 41-year-old has been raising money with the help of friends and family to pay for alternative treatments in the UK and abroad.

The Forum concert was organised by Ruth Williams, wife of The Skapones' singer, Paul Williams, and Mrs McDermott's close friend.

Mrs Williams said: “Originally, Carol’s husband set up a fund to get her money to have further treatment and they have managed to raise a few hundred pounds through that.

“We thought, 'why don’t we have a gig and use Paul’s band to raise some more money?' and The Forum were happy to accommodate us”

Mrs Williams has been seeking out old school friends of Mrs McDermott in the hope they will rally together on the night and show their support.

She added: “People would probably remember her as Carol Kipling from Hummersknott. I have been sending the message around and we have had a few people say they will come down.

“It would be great if we could sell it out and turn it into something positive.”

The Skapones, headlining, is an eight-man ska band who have been performing for four years to give people “a good night out".

The group has recently celebrated the success of their first debut album, Cradle to Grave, which sold out internationally in just over a week of its release.

In the last year the band have played at international festivals such as the Feuerwerks Open Air Festival at The Reduit in Mainz, Germany, and supported Madness at their House of Fun Weekender last November.

They have recently returned from Leicester where they played to a "packed house" and were joined on stage by members of UK ska band The Specials, who also appear on the new album.

The local lads are now hoping to use their growing popularity as a way to raise money for Mrs McDermott.

Mr Williams said: “We’re really looking forward to doing it because we have worked with teenager cancer trusts in the past

“It’s a subject that’s so close to home. You see so many people hurting from cancer, and it's not just the people involved but also the family and friends.

"It’s not a nice thing for anyone to suffer through. We wanted to try and do our little bit towards it.”

Posting on their Facebook page, the band called for "all in Darlington, surrounding areas and further afield" to help Mrs McDermott and her family.

They added: "Carol is battling hard so lets have a great night and raise much needed funds."

Ticket prices are £9 in advance or £10 on the door and can be bought either through The Forum or online at ticketweb.

More information about the event can be found at facebook.com/theskapones/events