We’re paying tribute to Dodsy by bringing Glastonbury vibes to South Shields

The family and friends of Stephen ‘Dodsy’ Harris, who was from South Shields, are preparing to host ‘Dodsy-Fest’ as they mark the first anniversary of his death.

Dodsy’s loved ones were left heartbroken in October 2024 when the 53-year-old sadly took his own life after battling problems with his mental health.

As a way of paying tribute to him, the ‘Make A Difference For Dodsy’ event was held earlier this year, which saw £4,232 raised for The Red Bench Project and Billy’s Lifeline.

Now they are aiming to make it bigger and better as they hold Dodsy-Fest, which looks to pay tribute to his love of going to the iconic Glastonbury Festival.

Lynn Peralta, Dodsy’s close friend, has told the Shields Gazette that the event is about helping raise awareness for various mental health organisations to those that need help can find it.

She said: “We’re turning the first anniversary of Dodsy’s death into ‘Dodsy-Fest’ because he absolutely loved going to Glastonbury whenever he got the chance - we’ve even got t-shirts, wristbands and lanyards for the day.

Sign up to the Shields Gazette’s free newsletters - delivering news and sport to your inbox throughout the week

“We are doing this because he didn’t get the help that he needed so we want to raise awareness for all the different charities to let people know that there is help out there for them and that they aren’t alone.

“But this is also helping myself and Dodsy’s family get through it all - he would be so proud of what we’ve done for him because all he wanted was to be heard.

“Everyone is looking forward to it, especially because everybody couldn’t stop talking about the last one so this time round it will be even bigger and better.

“We haven’t even had to run an appeal for the tombola because we still have so many donations left over from the last time, the support from the community has been amazing.”

Dodsy-Fest will take place at The Unionist Club, on Laygate, in South Shields, on Sunday, October 26, from 2pm - with tickets costing £6.50 per person.

The event will feature live music, a fire show, stalls from local traders, a raffle/tombola, a food vendor, and more.

You can find out more about the event at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580714905444.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting: https://tickets.ents24.com/event/make-a-difference-for-dodsy/the-unionist-club/3492752.