A MUSICIAN from Prestonpans has raised the roof with donations of thousands of pounds for a charity close to his heart.

Colin Gordon, 51, has been busy raising funds for Reverse Rett, which is dedicated to changing the lives of all those with the neurological condition Rett Syndrome.

A senior project manager with City of Edinburgh Council, he is a former punk rocker and has performed in live bands for many years.

He now specialises in 1950s guitar styles and plays with Edinburgh band Rock Hillbillies.

Mr Gordon said: “My 14-year-old niece Romi Loffler, from Giffnock, has Rett Syndrome, which is a severely disabling degenerative genetic condition.

“However, it was reversed in the lab at Edinburgh University in 2007 and a cure is imminent. Because it is rare, the charity Reverse Rett was set up by parents of children with Rett to support the research funding.

“The cure is expected within three years and will be classed as a major scientific breakthrough leading to further gene therapy cures.”

Over the years, he has raised around £12,000 for the charity, including the sale of a CD of original songs, Prestonpancakes, with friend Scott Basham, which were performed at a concert at The Caves in Edinburgh.

He and his family also completed a half marathon for the good cause.

Another initiative – Song Request Tuesday – has raised an additional £6,000.

This involves people requesting songs via a message box on the webpage justgiving.com/fundraising/Colin-Gordon7, where they also make a donation of £5 per request. The show went out on Facebook Live every Tuesday through the main Reverse Rett Facebook page.

Mr Gordon said: “Generally, I get the requests about a week in advance and we play six songs each show.

“Initially, it was just me on the show but then I got local musicians on to help me and do a bit of interviews and chat.

“It has been running weekly since May 2018, so we have done quite a lot of shows.

“Song Request Tuesday will continue but it is having a makeover and relaunch in September, and will become more like a virtual open mic night. We will be looking for musicians to come on the show so it would be good if anyone keen to perform could contact the Reverse Rett team by messaging through the Reverse Rett Facebook page.”

He added: “I wanted to create a show which would tap into social media in a positive way to raise awareness of Rett Syndrome and Reverse Rett which would be accessible for a wider audience.”