'My fingertips are still numb after 300-song gig'

A musician said her fingertips were "still numb" after performing 300 songs during a 12-hour gig in honour of her grandad, who died of cancer.

Katie Cocker staged her ambitious sing-a-thon at Chelmondiston Village Hall, in Suffolk, on Saturday, in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice.

The 30-year-old wanted to raise money for the charity as a thank you for how its staff cared for her grandad until his death in June 2025 at the age of 83.

Cocker told the BBC that the gig was a huge success and her grandad would have been "really proud and would've really enjoyed it".

"In the middle of the day when most of my family were down at the hall, I played a couple of songs that we had at his funeral as a bit of a tribute to him," she said.

"So it was really nice, and I did it the day before Father's Day as well, which felt like the right time to do it.

"He loved his music, so I think he would've loved it."

Cocker was diagnosed with autism in 2024, so playing in front of so many people "was a huge deal" for her but gave her a "massive confidence boost".

She mostly sings for herself in her room before sharing videos of her performances on social media, so having to perform for 12 hours was no mean feat.

She said she compiled her huge setlist of songs by looking through playlists of music she personally likes to listen to while driving or doing other day-to-day tasks.

"There were times where I thought I was not going to be able to even do it anymore, but I started off strong and my best friend was a massive encouragement," she said.

"I had a couple of loo breaks throughout the day, and I always had something to drink on stage, but I performed about 300 songs.

"My fingertips are still numb."

Her grandad was diagnosed with cancer in in 2024. He then suffered a "massive stroke" last year before being placed on end-of-life care at the hospice.

Her gig raised about £1,000 for the charity, which Cocker said provided the family with an "outstanding" level of support.

"We couldn't get him comfortable at home but as soon as he went to the hospice, he looked peaceful and comfortable," she added.

"It was the most perfect place for him to spend his final days, and I felt the care they gave him was just so outstanding and so I knew I wanted to do something for them.

"We couldn't have asked for anything more from them. They were just incredible."

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