TWO concerts at St Michael-le-Belfrey, York, will go ahead in memory of promoter Simon Heginbotham, who died last Friday.

Mr Heginbotham, who founded and ran Saltaire Live, had expanded his portfolio by booking folk luminaries Eddi Reader for Saturday and Show Of Hands for May 12. Tickets for each 8pm show – £20 for the first, £22.50 for the second – are on sale at sivtickets.com.

He had chosen the church in High Petergate as his solution to the problem of finding a York venue for folk acts who could draw audiences of more than 400.

"The shows are with performers who have not appeared in the city for a number of years due to the lack of a suitably sized seated venue," Mr Heginbotham had said when arranging the brace of concerts. "Therefore we are creating one by turning the church into a concert hall for the night."

Explaining his reasoning behind taking gigs to St Michael-le-Belfrey, Mr Heginbotham had said: "The National Centre for Early Music [in Walmgate] attracts many significant folk artists, but those who play to larger audiences of 400 have not been able to find a venue in the city. York has therefore been a glaring gap in the tour schedules of both Eddi Reader and Show Of Hands for a number of years."

Reader last played the 1,500-seat York Barbican in May 2015 and Show Of Hands performed at the 1,000-seat Grand Opera House in December 2011, since when band member Steve Knightley has had a couple of sold-out solo shows at the NCEM in February 2013 and February 2017.

Reader rose to fame fronting Fairground Attraction, who struck gold with the chart-topping Perfect in 1988. She has since built her career as a solo singer of strong opinion, performing all manner of song, from the traditional to the contemporary, and this April she is touring with a five-piece band.

On May 12, West Country folk act Show Of Hands will play in their original duo format of Knightley and Phil Beer on their Where We’re Bound tour, taking the chance to revisit material from their early albums alongside established favourites. Their special guest will be fellow Devonian Geoff Lakeman, father of musician sons Seth, Sam and Sean, the illustrious Lakeman folk family.

Mr Heginbotham's great love was Celtic folk music, which he promoted in Saltaire, West Yorkshire. In a statement on the Saltaire Live website, Rob Heginbotham and Emma Devlin wrote: "Simon’s family, executors and friends in Saltaire would like to run the next three concerts in both Saltaire and York in his memory, so the concerts will go ahead as planned. We hope that the many people who knew and loved Simon, or simply like the music and bands that he worked with, will come and join us at one or more of these events."

The first of those concerts, featuring former Bellowhead frontman Jon Boden and The Remnant Kings, will take place at the Victoria Hall, Saltaire, on Friday at 8pm. Tickets cost £20 from Fanny’s Ale House, Saltaire, or Jumbo Records, Leeds, or on the door.