Patients, volunteers and staff at St. Joseph’s Hospice received a very special visitor this week from Liverpool’s very own 'King of Swing', Asa Murphy.

Asa, who also hosts a show on BBC Radio Merseyside, visited the hospice along with his colleague, entertainer and compere Ronnie Orr. The pair toured the hospice with clinical Director, Clare Waller, before putting on a very special acoustic performance for patients, volunteers and staff in the hospice lounge.

Asa and Ronnie have worked together for many years and together star in Asa’s very own show, Buddy Holly Lives.

During their visit to the hospice, Asa played a fantastic medley of tunes from the show, which will be returning to the Epstein Theatre in June.Asa and Ronnie will be supporting the hospice yet again on Friday 21^st June at its Midsummer Night Ball, when Asa will perform live with his swing band.

The night will be compered by Ronnie who is all set to help the hospice raise thousands of pounds during the evening.

The Midsummer Night Ball takes place on the summer solstice at Liverpool’s Crowne Plaza and it promises to be a night of glitz and glamour. Tickets to the black tie event cost just £65 per person and include a drink on arrival, plus a delicious three-course meal and live entertainment. There will also be a raffle and an auction with some incredible prizes.

Norma Young, head of fundraising for the hospice, said: “We were so grateful to Asa and Ronnie for coming to visit the hospice; everyone had such a wonderful time signing and dancing along to some classic hits from Buddy Holy and we can’t wait to hear Asa again at our Midsummer Ball in June.“

The Ball will be a fantastic celebration of the hospice and our recent ‘Good’ rating from the Care Quality Commission. We are asking people to dig deep in support of the hospice so that we can improve and develop our services and facilities and care for more local people who are in need of palliative and end of life care. Please book your tickets and show your support.”

To buy tickets for the Midsummer Night Charity Ball, visitwww.jospice.org.uk, call 0151 932 6044or email events@jospice.org.uk.

St. Joseph’s Hospice (Jospice) is the oldest and largest hospice on Merseyside, providing specialised end of life care for patients with a wide range of life-limiting conditions. The hospice needs to raise £8,750 every day to keep its services running. Its 29-bed Inpatient Unit is located in a beautiful setting within a conservation area and 12 acres of natural woodland in Thornton, near Crosby. The hospice’s specialist healthcare teams care for over 200 patients and their familiesfrom across Liverpool, Sefton and West Lancashire every year.