James musician to raffle silver disc of Manchester anthem Sit Down for teenager with brain cancer

A silver disc of the legendary James anthem Sit Down is being raffled off to raise money for a teenager with an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Trumpeter Andy Diagram has promised to part ways with his beloved silver disc - which he has proudly displayed for 30 years - in the hope of helping his friend Joel Danziger.

Nineteen-year-old Joel, from Didsbury, has glioblastoma - the most aggressive form of brain cancer.

Survival after five years for glioblastoma patients is very rare.

But experts say a personalised treatment, known as a Dendritic Cell Vaccine, could significantly prolong and improve Joel’s life.

It would cost £400,000 for the vaccine to be manufactured by a biotech company in Cambridge and for Joel to receive the treatment from a leading brain tumour consultant at King's College Hospital, London.

As such, friends and family have been working hard on various fundraising events to try and help Joel find the money.

Joel Danziger is supported by his family and friends Credit: Family handout

Andy - who sings, plays trumpet, percussion and keyboards in James - hopes raffling off his prized silver disc will raise a significant sum for the cause.

Andy has known Joel’s parents Ian Runacres and Steph Danziger for 40 years and they played in the band Dislocation Dance together in the 1980's before he joined James in 1989.

The Silver Disc was presented to Andy by the BPI for James’ Indie anthem “Sit Down”.

Rather than auction it to the highest bidder, he wants to give all fans of the band a chance to win this unique piece of Manchester music memorabilia.

Raffle tickets to win the disc cost £5 each, with all proceeds going to the appeal for Joel’s treatment.

Fans can enter as many times as they wish. Here is the link

In addition to the raffle, Andy has also released a reworked version of Diagram Brothers’ 1981 John Peel favourite ‘Bricks’, which he has remanded ‘Masks’ to resonate with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

You can visit the fundraising page for details about how to donate.