A night set to honour the late Sarah Harding has received widespread criticism on social media after it was announced earlier this week.
London’s popular hotspot, Heaven at G-A-Y, announced they would be hosting a night dedicated to the late singer who had performed at the venue on several occasions.
It comes just days after Sarah’s mum, Marie Hardman, announced that the Girls Aloud star had died aged 39 following a courageous battle with breast cancer that later spread to her lungs and spine.
The club had announced that they would be playing Girls Aloud music on repeat between 10pm and 5am with a proportion of profits being donated to a cancer charity.
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Taking to Twitter, club owner Jeremy Joseph wrote: “Saturday 18th September @HeavenLGBTclub A @macmillancancer Fundraiser G-A-Y Pays Tribute To @SarahNHarding.
“Goal is to raise £5000 celebrating Her Life With Hits Of Girls Aloud played with Saturday dance floor fillers.”
A poster added that it would cost punters £3 to enter the venue, with £1 being donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.
(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
However, shortly after the venue shared their decision, they were met with backlash from loyal Girls Aloud fans who claimed they were profiting on Sarah’s death.
Taking to the replies section, one wrote: “Hi @JeremyJoseph, please could you make the full ticket amount go to @TheChristieNHS as that is her chosen charity and the place that cared for her.”
While a second added: “Absolutely f**king vile. Considering your other events are only £1 entry yet you’re charging £4 for a ‘fundraiser’ and only giving £1 to charity and not even Sarah’s chosen charity. Capitalising on someone’s death goes to show the exact scum that you are.”
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“Please don’t try and make a profit out of someone’s death. It’s disgusting. Also, as great as Macmillan is, Sarah’s chosen charity was @TheChristieNHS. Only giving £1 out of £4 to charity is wrong,” said a third.
Before a fourth commented: “All money should go to the charity. The charity has seen a 600% rise in people reaching our following the death of Sarah… With this comes financial strain. Do the right thing and donate ALL proceeds to the charity to help them fight this illness.”
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However, defending their decision, a spokesperson for the venue told Metro.co.uk: “The goal is to raise over £5k, £1 of which will be covered by the door donation by customers. The capacity of heaven is 1,625, so G-A-Y will be donating £3,375, but possibly more, as no one knows the take from the night as entry alone is over £15,000 a night.
Meanwhile, someone said: “It’s a shame that a venue is being attacked for doing an event for someone who has been a huge part of G-A-Y history.”
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They added: “The £1 per person on the door was G-A-Y being transparent as it is on all its fundraising, it isn’t the total amount, it is the amount that is being donated by customers, the rest is from G-A-Y which is clear in the event.”
Announcing Sarah’s death, her mum said: “It’s with deep heartbreak that today I’m sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away.
“It meant the world to Sarah and it gave her great strength and comfort to know she was loved. I know she won’t want to be remembered for her fight against this terrible disease – she was a bright shining star and I hope that’s how she can be remembered instead.”
Daily Star has approached G-A-Y for comment.
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