Smiths star Mike
Joyce has drummed up support from the region’s top actors to launch a T-shirt
which will help fund a trip of a lifetime for Salford teenagers.
A picture he took of fellow band
member Morrissey has been embossed on a yellow shirt for Salford Lads Club
to sell.
The image of the group’s singer was taken by
Mike on Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, during the Smiths’ tour of the US in 1986.
Actors Maxine Peake, from Bolton , Salford’s Christopher Eccleston, and John Thompson, and
Bolton radio presenter Mark Radcliffe, have helped out by doing Morrissey poses
in the shirts.
A limited number of one thousand shirts will be
printed to help finance a trip to New York for Lads Club members, which will
cost £24,000.
Last
year another T-shirt went on sale featuring an image by photographer Stephen
Wright, of the band outside the arch at the entrance to Lads Club.
That shirt raised £43,000 profit for the club
after sales topped £80,000 and were delivered world-wide.
The new shirt goes on sale today at the club
and will be available at a pop up shop at Afflecks Palace in Manchester for a
week from Monday.
Leslie
Holmes, spokesman for the Club, said: “The idea came about after a visit by
Mike Joyce to see the Wall of Names earlier this year. Mike has been here lots
of times over the past 10 years, I first met him in 2003 when he came played
drums on the balcony of the gym which was live on 6Music.
“He then rehearsed here for a couple of years
with a band led by Vinny Peculiar with Andy Rourke, Craig Gannon and managed by
Bonehead.
“We started talking about how inspirational the
first USA trip had been for young people here that we are planning a second
trip, this time to New York.
“Mike said he’d like to help fundraise for this
and mentioned he had a photo of Morrissey which he took in 1986 which we might
be able to use.
“Over the past few months we have met with Mike
and come up with different designs using his photo. We are really pleased with
the end product, it’s a much larger design than we have done before but we
think it suites the photo, the original is in colour but we have done it like a
grainy black and white image and had it printed on a ‘80s faded yellow look
t-shirt.
“Mike also said we had a few mutual friends who
have been to the club and know about the work that goes on here, so they were
keen to be involved. Only turns out that they are great Manc icons.”
The shirts are priced at £20 + post and
packaging and £15 from each shirt will go direct to the USA trip and towards
future activities for young people at the club.
Tony Martin, general manager at Afflecks, said:
“We have been supporting Salford Lads Club for over two years now and are very
proud to have raised just over £10,000 during that time. Salford Lads Club
Morrissey & Smiths themed products sell well with our shoppers,
especially tourists visiting the city.”
