Talented local musicians Annie and the Jays, Heads Up, Ben Lauder and Cora Manchester are joining forces for a Bands 4 Hope gig at Cold Town House on 9th May, to raise funds for Edinburgh based The House of Hope, Scotland’s first dedicated support and wellbeing centre for people impacted by breast cancer.
Inspired by their mum Cat MacLean’s breast cancer journey, Annie (31) and George Liddle (27) - from Annie and the Jays - wanted to give back and say thank you to The House of Hope for the incredible support their mum receives and felt a live music gig was a fitting way to do this, given their family’s musical talent. Annie and George’s dad, Gordon Liddle, was the drummer in chart topping 1970s band Bilbo Baggins and George followed in his footsteps as the drummer in Annie and the Jays, with Annie as the lead singer.
Mum of three, Cat MacLean aged 59, from Edinburgh was diagnosed with primary breast cancer in 2013 and went through chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a lumpectomy. A keen runner, Cat kept up her training all the way through chemo and successfully ran a half marathon that year.
For the next nine years Cat largely forgot that she’d had cancer; however in 2022 she developed a slight niggle in her back, which wasn’t painful but bothered her from time to time. Following a chest X-Ray, Cat was sent for a CT scan which showed a lesion on her lung and after further examination it revealed a large lesion in her vertebral spine and was eventually given a secondary breast cancer diagnosis.
Cat has spent the last three years undergoing treatment, but is living well and leading a fulfilled life. She can no longer work, but took up jewellery making, choir, and wild swimming, which were absolutely brilliant for her from a mental and physical health perspective.
In 2023 Cat was diagnosed with brain mets and began having regular MRI scans, targeted radiotherapy and then last year she was moved onto oral chemotherapy and is currently managing the challenging side effects of this treatment. Cat has been using the wellbeing services at The House of Hope since it opened its doors in June 2025, which she describes as ‘a real lifeline and a fantastic space to meet like-minded people and unwind while going through treatment.’
Annie Liddle said: “My mum is a true inspiration and the support she has received from The House of Hope has been fantastic during her treatment, so we wanted to give back and say thank you. Music is in our blood, so it was a natural way for us to help raise funds by collaborating with other local talent to put on a live music gig to help raise funds and awareness and celebrate my mum’s courageous journey.”
The Bands 4 Hope gig takes place on Saturday 9th May at Cold Town House. All proceeds support people impacted by breast cancer at The House of Hope.
Media enquiries: katrina@thehouseofhope.org.uk.
