'Amazing' Doncaster music lovers to be celebrated at special memorial concert

Doncaster Youth Jazz Association is staging a day long concert to remember Doncaster’s Kevin Smith and Jean Ketley, both who were big supporters of the town’s live music scene and who have both sadly died in the last 18 months.

Kevin, a plaster technician at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, died in April last year following a battle with Covid-19.

Jean, a dedicated volunteer at the town’s Sandall Park, died on New Year’s Day.

Kev and Jean Fest will be held on October 30 at the Jazz Centre on Beckett Road and will pay tribute to the pair.

A spokesman said: “We will be hosting a celebration event in memory of two very special, amazing people.

"This event is a celebration for two great people who we sadly lost last year and this year, with their love of music we hope to celebrate their lives with lots of music throughout the day and night that you can enjoy.”

Kevin died at the hospital where he had worked for nearly four decades on Easter Sunday last year. He was responsible for applying casts to patients with broken limbs.

A plaster technician at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Kev, as he was known to friends and colleagues, was renowned for his warm personality, diligence and compassion.

Jean Ketley, 86, spent more than 15 years working to improve and keep Wheatley’s Sandall Park tidy and was a key part of the Friends of Sandall Park, the volunteer group which looks after the outdoor space.

Jean, who lived in Clay Lane, was taken ill last year and passed away at home on New Year’s Day.

Her husband Ron, a retired music teacher, has also devoted his retirement to working with the group.

The festival is set to get under way at 2pm with live music throughout the day. The full line up will be announced closer to the time.

Tickets will be on sale on the door on the day of the event, priced at £5 per ticket and food and refreshments will be available.