Sunday for Sammy concert cancelled for 2023 due to cost of living

Tim Healy said Sunday for Sammy will not take place in 2023 because organisers could not be sure that people could afford to buy tickets. Credit: PA

A popular charity concert will not be held in 2023 due to the cost of living crisis.

Sunday for Sammy, which is held in memory of North East actor Sammy Johnson, is a biennial event aimed at benefitting young performers.

The long-running event has featured the likes of Joe McElderry, Johnny Vegas, Brenda Blethyn, Denise Welch, AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Mark Knopfler, Jill Halfpenny and Ant and Dec.

Tim Healy, who hosts Sunday for Sammy, said: "We've had lots of enquiries over the recent months asking when the next Sunday for Sammy will take place.

"We are very much aware at the moment that people are struggling with day-to-day living costs and are watching their pennies. Everything is becoming more and more expensive and that includes the cost of putting on a show the size of ours."

He added: "We can't in good conscious put on a show that we aren't sure people can afford to be tickets for. It would be wrong to risk your money you have generously given us.

"So sadly we have decided that there won't be a show in 2023. We're going to wait until the time is right."

Often dubbed The Geordie Command Performance, the shows, which have been running for more than 20 years, are held in memory of Geordie actor Sammy Johnson, who died in 1999.

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