SEA shanty singers who owe their lives to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD and E) are using their voices to show their appreciation.

After members of Mid Devon-based Mariners Away received life-saving care from the hospital’s cardiology unit, the group is staging a charity concert at Exeter Corn Exchange on October 20 in aid of the RD and E Charity.

The group’s musical arranger and primary songwriter Trevor Munkenbeck had stent surgery at the hospital in 2021, while in November last year, media and publicity officer Eric Partridge spent five weeks on the hospital’s Avon Ward recovering from a cardiac arrest.

Eric, 70, from Okehampton, said: “It is thanks to the expert care of all the nurses, doctors and ancillary staff in ICU and Avon Ward that I am now well on the road to a full recovery and back performing with Mariners Away.

“In truth though, many members of the group have either received expert treatment from the hospital in some way, or know someone who has.

“So it is in recognition of the dedicated professionals at RD and E that we are holding a special concert to express our gratitude, and to raise much-needed funds to help the hospital go even further for local people.”

Mariners Away, which has a dozen members who hail from in and around Mid Devon, and perform all over the South West, have enlisted the help of a number of supporting acts for the “Cream of Devon” concert.

The two-and-a-half-hour-long programme will also feature award-winning folk singer-songwriter Jim Causley; internationally-renowned harpist Elizabeth-Jane Baldry; and Plymouth-based prog-folk trio Windjammer. The concert will be compered by Devon comedian Jonno.

“It promises to be a special evening of fantastic folk music and we hope it’ll raise lots of money to support our wonderful hospital,” added Eric, who visited the hospital with members of Mariners Away and sang to patients on Avon Ward.

Tickets for the event are priced at £13 (including a £1 booking fee) and are available by calling the Corn Exchange ticket office on 01392 665938, or can be booked online at www.exetercornexchange.co.uk .