Celebration concert

The Acocks Green Singers

The Acocks Green Singers with Three Men and a Lady

Jeremy Ballard

Andi Thomas

At the weekend I was at a concert held in memory of my Dad, Phil Evens, which raised money for Rejuvenate Worldwide, a charity that Dad was involved in founding. The concert was hosted by St Cyprian’s Hay Mills and the performers were Jeremy Ballard, the Acocks Green Singers and Three Men and a Lady.

Jeremy Ballard is a violinist and studied in London with Sasha Lasserson. He joined the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as leader of the second violins and also in 1971 formed the Arioso Quartet. He played a charity concert following the death of my brother Nick and was impressed by the things my Dad said in accepting the cheque. As a result, he was very willing to again perform for charity in this concert.

At the end of the evening I said the following:


"It is, of course, entirely appropriate that this evening has been raising money for Rejuvenate Worldwide and we are particularly grateful to Andi Thomas for speaking about Dad and the work of Rejuvenate. Following Nick’s death, founding Rejuvenate (then known as Faith in Action) with Andi was one of the key ways in which Dad was able to continue the work that Nick had begun and the inspiration that he had provided to many. Dad had, of course, given Nick the opportunity to begin that work by setting up the Aston Community Youth Project along with all those who played a part in its work and development. Andi was one of those who benefited from the project and who has gone on to put into practice, through his youth work in Birmingham and through his leadership of Rejuvenate, the vision that Dad and Nick both shared.

Dad influenced many people throughout his life and it was wonderful for us as a family to hear and read many tributes to Dad from those whose lives he had influenced for good in some way around the time of his funeral. One element in coping with the loss of someone who was, for me, probably the biggest influence on my life and what I have made of it, has been the sense that there are people who continue to be influenced by Dad in the way that they live out their lives. Some of you will know that over that period I posted a number of pieces about Dad’s life on my blog and also wrote a series of poems about my response to his illness and death. I’d like to end by reading the last poem in that series. In it, I list in brief those who were influenced by Dad to serve others as church workers, social workers and youth workers. That is the legacy that he leaves behind. Some of us here tonight and others in other places around the country are that legacy. In and through the way we live our lives, his memory and inspiration live on.


Our world contracted

Our world has contracted
to a room,
a bed,
a man.
Yet the world continues to spin,
traffic flows,
people sleep, work and eat,
the world and ward continue
their nightly rounds
unaffected by his passing
on.
Progenitor of people
and projects,
inspirer
of church workers,
social workers,
youth workers.
As he lay
unconscious
and breathing
we have remembered
and celebrated
this man
that the world
does not know
but who loved,
cherished
and challenged
our lives
into being
and becoming.
He lies still,
his life gone.
His memory
and inspiration
live on."


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Mahler 2nd - Finale End - Simon Rattle/CBSO