A DJ who dusted off his vinyl after a break of almost a quarter of a century is now filling floors in York and raising thousands of pounds for good causes.

Mike Ward, 59, was a regular on the soul scene in his native Telford during the late 1960s and early 1970s, eventually becoming a DJ himself under the name of the MB Soul Show.

However, he ended his days behind the decks to pursue a career in engineering.

He said: “I was DJing in the late 1970s and specialising in Northern Soul and Tamla Motown. I ended up having to choose between a career or being a professional DJ, so I ended up moving to York in 1984 to be an engineer with York Waterworks Company.”

It was then that Mr Ward put his vinyl collection in the loft and remained oblivious to the strong Northern Soul scene in Yorkshire, for the next 24 years.

He said: “I put my records away and as the years go by you just forget about them. When I was asked about doing a guest appearance that’s when I got up in the loft and got them all out. I just brushed off the dust and away you go.

“It was only in the past four years that I became aware of the scene. I had no idea it was so big in Yorkshire.

I was asked if I would help out with a charity night and the rest is history.”

He said: “I joined my friend Andy Hudson, who is a well-known soul DJ, and we did a night to raise money for research into Parkinson’s disease.

“It was very successful and we have just gone on from there.”

Mike said since he got back into the scene he has even returned to his old haunts in Telford and had performed in clubs there.

He estimates he has raised about £16,000 in the past four years – his latest fundraiser being for a Children In Need event at Huntington Working Men’s Club.