THE music festival staged in memory of Dines Green dentist Dr John Bué has raised almost £4,000 for Worcestershire charities.

Ten local bands rocked the outdoor stage in front of hundreds of music fans at The Mason’s Arms, Wichenford, last month to celebrate the life of the Queen fan, aged 45, who died in a motorbike crash near Rushwick in June.

With ticket sales, a star-studded raffle and donations from dental practice patients, a whopping £3,889.73 has rolled in for the West Midlands Air Ambulance and The Glory Baptist Project, a Worcester-based charity raising money for a 3,000-pupil school in The Gambia.

The air ambulance, which needs £5.6 million a year, got £2,680.70. It’s the third biggest donation the service, whose paramedics fought to save Dr Bué, has received.

Malvern team co-ordinator David Harrison said: “We’re absolutely delighted with this donation. It means the important work our paramedics and support staff do across the area can continue. Events like this are vital.”

The rest was ringfenced for the Glory Baptist Project, whose supporters are embarking on a 16-day trip at Christmas to drive four minibuses and a support vehicle from Worcester to The Gambia. David Connellan, owner of Worcester’s Mobile Mechanic, is the charity’s founder. He and his wife Sue are leading the December mission.

“This money is a fantastic help towards our trip,” he said. “It means we can take the computers, sports equipment and mechanical parts with us which will make such a difference to the lives of these children.”

More than 350 music fans flocked to The Mason’s for the festival, which saw each band play one Queen track to honour Dr Bué, a lifelong fan who once met Queen guitarist Brian May.

Nineteen-year-old Dave Small, lead singer in Worcester rock band Naked Remedy, was one of the musicians to play for free.

“There was a great atmosphere,” he said. “I’d heard a lot about Dr Bué and he had a great taste in music. We had an absolutely fantastic night.”

The festival was dreamed up by Sarah Ryland-Smith, practice manager at The Green Dental Practice in Dines Green, where father-of-two Dr Bué worked, and Andy Moseley, landlord of The Mason’s, who is joining The Glory Baptist Project’s Gambia trip, He said: “It’s awesome. We couldn’t have asked for a better response.”