Talented singer Ashleigh Cox is staging a series of solo charity gigs in honour of her late mum. Ashleigh, from Bredbury, is raising funds for St Ann’s Hospice which cared for Patricia who died of bowel cancer on Christmas Eve in 2011, aged 53.

Ashleigh, 22, will write about her experiences on stage for a dissertation  before graduating from the British and Irish Modern Music Institute in Manchester later this year.

Ashleigh, older sisters Sarah and Laura and dad Steve, have not forgotten how St Ann’s looked after Patricia, a facilities manager with Stockport Council.

Ashleigh said: “It’s my way of saying thank you for the care given to mum who spent two weeks at the hospice. I also realised I could give something back while doing my music degree.

“I was close to my mum and it’ll be emotional to perform in her memory. She was happy and friendly and made me a much stronger person.”

Ashleigh, who plays piano, acoustic and electric guitar, demonstrated her musical talents at 19 when she was a finalist in a competition that attracted 4,000 entrants.

She has twice been to Broadway to see Wicked, the musical which inspires much of her show-themed repertoire.

She is appearing at the Cow and Calf pub in Romiley on Saturday, March 11. Other performances are at the Masons, New Mills (March 4); The Kings, Chapel-en-le Frith (Mar 18) and in Peterborough (Mar 25).

To donate go to Ashleigh’s charity page or read Ashleigh’s blog.