A POPULAR Topsham band has handed over an �11,500 cheque to a local hospital as a thank-you for their care of the frontman's son. The folk-duo Show of Hands presented the cheque to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital after being impressed by the long-term

A POPULAR Topsham band has handed over an �11,500 cheque to a local hospital as a thank-you for their care of the frontman's son.The folk-duo Show of Hands presented the cheque to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital after being impressed by the long-term care for frontman Steve Knightley's son Jack.Jack, 7, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in autumn 2007 and is receiving ongoing treatment at the hospital's Bramble ward, under the care of consultant paediatricians Dr Andrew McNinch and Dr Corinne Hayes and nursing staff.Over �5,000 was raised by the Show of Hands fans' organisation, Longdogs, through the sales of a charity CD of a live recording of a show at Exeter's Phoenix Theatre in December 2007.The recording was one of only two gigs on the Show of Hands autumn tour that Steve was able to take part in. Half the proceeds from the CD also go towards the childhood cancer charity CLIC Sargent.A further �1,000 was collected from well-wishers during Steve's solo tour in early 2008.Topsham mother Sarah Lloyd also formed the Topsham Parents Group, who fundraised to build Jack a fantastic treehouse in his garden and raised �3,000 for the hospital.A further �2,000 was raised by Steve's bandmate Phil Beer through a sponsored slim which was again supported by the band's fans, with the musician losing around two stone.An added incentive to lose weight was Phil's lifetime dream of taking part in the famous Tall Ships Race - he has now been accepted to crew on the Bristol-built cutter Pegasus this summer.The money will go to the Paediatric Oncology Fund.l To order a copy of the Show of Hands charity CD visit www.longdogs.co.uk