06/09/2026
THE BRA-B-Q 2026 — THE LINER NOTES
Every album has the big names on the front cover.
But anyone who knows anything about music knows it’s the people in the tiny print on the back who actually made the bloody thing happen.
And this year’s BRA-B-Q album has a LOT of liner notes.
Firstly… WE BROKE THE £10K BARRIER.
Something we genuinely thought might be unbreakable.
There’s still some money to come in, but so many of you have asked us over the last three weeks that we thought we’d better give you an early listen…
We are currently sitting just shy of £11,000 raised for Birmingham Hospice. That’s a 20% increase on last year for those of you who, like me, enjoy a good percentage.
And none of that happens without band mates.
Fiona – who spent much of this year with a broken foot, meaning pounding the streets for prizes was somewhat off the set list. But, as always, we worked around it. Because apparently stopping is not an option.
Claire – who took control of every meeting like a woman on a mission… and then promptly forgot what she’d said by the next meeting. Somehow, despite this, we still moved forward. A managerial miracle.
Annette – who had the small matter of £14,000 worth of prizes to wrangle and sensibly decided she needed reinforcements. Enter Sam, the absolute unsung hero who quietly got stuck in and helped make the whole prize operation possible.
Suzanne – our print queen from afar. Somewhere between here and Bristol, things magically become printed, BRAnded and considerably more professional. We genuinely don't know how.
Victoria – working the online prize machine and somehow ending up with Gordon Ramsay, Ian Bell, James Haskell & and Poppy Cooks on the BRA-B-Q radar. Come on. There aren't many sentences that contain those names and the words “charity raffle”.
Lily – who works SO bloody hard and takes this whole thing so seriously. Whilst the rest of us are dancing, drinking and pretending we're not exhausted, Lily is still working. Honestly, someone needs to teach her how to clock off.
Then there’s the roadies who make it happen quietly in the background…
To the husbands and partners Damion, Stuart, Lee, Will, Russell and Harvey, and the kids Calum, Theo, Eli, Bonnie, Louis, Amélie, Owen and Noah. The people who have accepted that for a significant chunk of the year, “normal family life” is apparently an optional extra. You lug things. You build things. You make things. You fetch things. You get volunteered for things. And, occasionally, you ask the very reasonable question: “How many WhatsApp messages does it actually take to change a lightbulb?”
The answer is always: more.
Amélie – whose 10-year-old brain now understands our P&L spreadsheet better than most adults. Chip off the old block. We couldn't be prouder. Although we’re slightly concerned that she's going to start asking about gross margin next.
Bonnie – celebrating absolutely unbelievable GCSE results by spending the day manning the door. Because apparently academic achievement is no excuse for getting out of volunteer duties.
Theo – who shaved their head in front of a live audience to raise even more money. That's not just commitment. That's standing on a stage and handing your hair over to charity in front of a garden full of people. Bloody brilliant.
Louis – because every festival needs a juggler. Obviously.
And Damion – official BRA-B-Q photographer once again. Hundreds of brilliant photographs, all taken whilst everyone else was having the time of their lives. There should probably be some sort of compensation for the number of dances and drinks missed in the line of duty.
To our families – thank you for tolerating the lists, the boxes, the WhatsApps, the dining tables covered in charity stuff and the general sense that we're permanently preparing for something.
We love you.
We're sorry.
And yes, we promise there will eventually be a point where nobody says “BRA-B-Q” for at least 24 hours. Probably.
Carlene at The Duke – four years of letting us turn your beautiful b**r garden into our annual festival madness. Our stage. Our home. Our slightly chaotic little corner of the world. Four years. Still no complaints. We couldn’t do it without you, and you contribution towards the headline act is never taken for granted.
Ashley – our host for the day, keeping things moving, working the crowd and doing a sterling job of getting us through the programme… and all with a pint in hand.
Samantha & Dean – year after year, you're there. Before the first person arrives, after the last person leaves, and for approximately 900 trips in between. The kind of people every event needs and every organiser quietly relies upon.
And then there are the musicians…
Matt – who turns up every single year, our unofficial Director of Music, is absolutely bloody flawless, and somehow learns a completely new set for us every time. We genuinely don't know how you keep doing it.
Sami & Greg – for giving us that gorgeous one-off acoustic set. Proper goosebumps stuff and exactly the sort of moment that makes the whole day feel special.
Rocket Cafe – back again, with their brilliant set AND their very own 70th birthday party happening around them. Because why have one celebration when you can have two? And yes… there is already talk of next year. 👀
And Jackie at JK Entertainment – for working with us to make Fi & Claire's childhood dreams come true and getting George Michael onto our stage. Some things are worth waiting decades for.
Faye at Grills Grills Grills – for feeding considerably more people than we originally thought we were going to feed, because apparently the numbers decided to have a last-minute growth spurt. Thank you for rolling with it, feeding the masses and once again making the food such a huge part of the day.
Skinny – for building our stage like it was nothing. Quite literally holding the whole thing up.
Out of Hand – for printing the things we asked for, the things we forgot we'd asked for, and probably a few things we hadn't asked for yet. All while asking for nothing in return. Absolute legends.
Naomi at CANDY BUBBLES – for creating the balloon arch of dreams, completely FOC, and making the entrance look about a million times more fabulous than anything we could have done ourselves. There are balloon arches. And then there are Naomi balloon arches.
Tina & Craig – who are currently working their magic behind the scenes to make that nearly-£11k figure even bigger with match funding. You two are basically the remix nobody knew we needed.
And Birmingham Hospice.
Thank you for letting us be part of the work you do.
For inviting us into your world.
For letting us hear the stories, meet the people and understand just how much the money we raise can actually mean.
It's one thing to organise a charity event. It's another thing entirely to see the reason why you're doing it. We are incredibly proud to be able to play our tiny part.
And finally…
To EVERY SINGLE PERSON who came.
Who bought a ticket.
Who bought a tombola.
Who bought an auction ticket.
Who bid.
Who donated.
Who danced.
Who sang.
Who ate.
Who drank.
Who laughed.
Who stayed until the end.
Who came dressed for an 80s party and absolutely committed to the brief.
And finally – always and forever – Fran.
The reason behind every single note. There isn't a week that goes by when I don't hear that foghorn laugh in my head. We miss you more than you could ever imagine. This is for you. Always. 💜
So that's the people.
Next up…
SIDE B: THE BUSINESSES.
Because without them, we'd have a very expensive microphone, several confused volunteers and absolutely bu**er all to put in a tombola.
And maybe…
BRA-B-Q 2027?
Or perhaps we should just…
Let It Be.
