Signed Marillion guitar will help Charlie Mortimer Fund

A Fender guitar signed by Marillion is being raffled online for charity.

The 1998 Deluxe Super Stratocaster was signed by the band at Real World Studios in Wiltshire during the recording of their upcoming 18th album. It is said to be in mint condition.

A raffle is being hosted on a Virgin Money Giving page with the money being used to set up a fund in memory of little Charlie Mortimer, who died just a few days after being born. He had undiagnosed Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD), a rare genetic metabolic condition.

A statement on the Virgin Money page reads: “Charlie was born on August 11, 2009. He was the Mortimer family’s third beautiful son – their life was perfect, complete.

“Charlie went home to meet his big brothers on August 12, and they spent the most precious 24 hours of their lives together. The ‘perfection’, however, came to a very sudden and unexpected end when Charlie stopped breathing at home on Thursday, August 13.

“Despite desperate attempts to resuscitate him, tests, scans, tubes, drugs and prayers from hundreds of people around the world, Charlie died in his mother’s arms two days later on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Leeds General Infirmary.”

The Charlie Mortimer Fund aims to support children and families who are living with metabolic disease, support families dealing with neonatal or childhood critical or terminal illness and to support bereaved parents and siblings.

Raffle tickets cost £5 and the competition closes at midnight on Monday, April 11, with the winner to be selected on April 12.

Marillion have a string of 2016 tour dates lined up.

Marillion 2016 tour dates

Apr 29: Sao Paulo Tom Brasil, Brazil
Apr 30: Rio Vivo Rio, Brazil
May 01: Belo Horizonte SESC Palladium, Brazil
May 03: Buenos Aires Gran Rex, Argentina
May 05: Valparalso Teatro Municipal De Valparalso, Chile
May 07: Santiago Teatro Caupolican, Chile
May 10: Lima Parque De La Exposlcion, Peru
Jun 17: Zurich Rock The Ring, Switzerland
Jun 19: London Stone Free Festival, UK
Jul 14: Munich Muffathalle, Germany
Jul 15: Erfurt Gewerkschaftshaus, Germany
Jul 16: Wertheim Burg Wertheim, Germany
Jul 18: Stuttgart LKA Longhorn, Germany
Jul 19: Berlin Huxley’s Neue Welt, Germany
Jul 20: Fulda Universitatsplatz, Germany
Jul 25: Slupsk Dollna Charlotty X Festival, Poland
Aug 05: Schwetzingen Open Air Im Park, Germany
Aug 06: Nurnberg Lieder Am See, Germany
Aug 08: Colgne Theater Am Tanzbrunnen, Germany
Aug 11: Schaffhausen Stars In Town Festival, Switzerland
Oct 21: San Francisco The Regency Ballroom, CA
Oct 22: Beverly Hills Saban Theater, CA
Oct 25: Denver Paramount Theatre, CP
Oct 27: Chicago Vic Theatre, IL
Oct 28: Chicago Vic Theatre, IL
Oct 29: Northfield Hard Rock Live, OH
Oct 31: Toronto Danforth Music Hall, ON
Nov 01: Montreal Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre, QC
Nov 02: Québec L’Impérial Bell, QC
Nov 04: Boston Royale Boston, MA
Nov 05: Washington 9:30 Club, DC
Nov 06: Philadelphia Keswick Theatre, PA
Nov 08: New York PlayStation Theater, NY
Dec 06: Utrecht MusicCentrum, Netherlands
Dec 07: Utrecht MusicCentrum, Netherlands

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.