Tickets have been swapped for a food parcel for a concert in aid of Isle of Man Foodbank.

Jimmy Gillespie, supported by Jon Lightfield, will be playing at The Institute, in Laxey, on Saturday (December 17).

Admission is by a food parcel worth £5 or over, or cash, an idea that Jimmy came up when he heard the Isle of Man Foodbank was in need of donations.

Jimmy said: ‘The benefit of it is to get the food out to the people who need it most at this time of year. There’s a lot of people out there needing to be fed, believe it or not in this day and age.’

He said the audience could expect an ‘acoustic laid back evening’, adding: ‘I’m sure they would be entertained.’

You can find Jimmy busking on Laxey seafront and he also spends part of the year on the west coast of Ireland, where he travels around in his campervan and has some residencies.

‘I don’t do it for the money,’ he said. He enjoys entertaining people, adding: ‘In Ireland it’s all about the music.’

He plays music ‘right across the board’, including the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Pink Floyd, David Gray James Taylor and Joni Mitchell but can play for any audience.

Jimmy said he always enjoyed playing at The Institute, as there was always a ‘listening audience’.

He said Jon, who records his own music, had been his first choice for a support act, saying he was ‘really impressed by his songs’.

Audience members are welcome to bring along their own food and drinks.

Doors open at Saturday at 7.30pm.