Watch Eastbourne man play the accordion at street party to give neighbours ‘morale booster’

A retired Eastbourne man hosted a party in his street as a ‘morale booster’ for his neighbours during the coronavirus pandemic.
By Logan MacLeod
Published 30th Apr 2020, 15:07 BST
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Keith Marsh, who lives in Freeman Avenue, played a selection of his own songs on the accordion to a crowd of up to 40 people, who were all socially distancing, at its peak on Saturday night between 6pm and 7.30pm (April 25). Keith, formerly of the band Ad Lib, said, “This is what I do. I lost my wife six-and-a-half years ago and I’ve been giving something back to the community ever since. We’re in troubling times at the moment. This was just a morale booster.

“I thought ‘I can sit in my doorway and play there’. So I put a note through people’s letterboxes and got a terrific response. They all came down.”

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Keith said he received numerous thank you notes for his performance from neighbours.

Keith Marsh playing the accordion on his doorstepKeith Marsh playing the accordion on his doorstep
Keith Marsh playing the accordion on his doorstep

The former Bishop Bell secondary school pupil said, “One letter said ‘We want to say a very big thank you for Saturday night. It was lovely and you were brilliant.

“It was really nice to see our neighbours enjoying themselves during this difficult time. We hope you play again.”

Keith, a former car restoration repairman, said he may play another show if lockdown is extended or, if it is lifted, play as part of a celebration party.

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He said, “The first song I’ll play when lockdown is over is Happy Days are Here Again.”

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