By Leicester Mercury | Posted: 17 November, 2015
Geoff Rowe shudders at the thought of stand-up comedy. It's something he says he'd never do. Yet the man behind Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival has dedicated his working life to helping raise money for charity by making people laugh.
One of his latest projects is the Stand-Up Challenge, a chance for business people to test their comedic skills.
This year's event, at Leicester's Y Theatre on November 25, will see six people compete for the chance to perform at the city's 2016 comedy festival.
Comedian Anthony King has helped each contestant put together a five-minute routine.
Geoff, who has been observing their progress, said: "They go through huge enthusiasm, absolute fear, to the point of saying they don't want to do it anymore.
"Then they start to write material with Anthony and they do a try-out and they get a huge buzz out of it and think they are kings of the world and that they can do it and then they are really confident.
"On the night they will be absolutely terrified and that's just the way it goes. Then they'll do it, and when they come off the stage, invariably they will want to do it again."
Geoff reckons this year's Stand-Up Challenge will raise about £15,000.
The money goes to Big Difference Company, the not-for-profit firm he founded in 2009 to help raise money for life-changing projects for disadvantaged people.
Geoff said: "This is a significant amount of money for Big Difference Company which means we can expand the work we do with young people, with schools, with disadvantaged people, making people's lives better."
The company's work enables community groups and charities to put on fund-raising comedy events.
For instance, the firm recently partnered with LOROS, the Leicester hospice charity, to help it plan a comedy show. The Laughter with LOROS event will take place as part of next year's Leicester Comedy Festival.
Geoff said: "It's about raising LOROS's profile and changing people's perception of LOROS, as well as raising money."
The contestants at the forthcoming Stand-Up Challenge are Chris Greenwell, below, a partner at the Leicester office of law firm Gateley; Nick Pulley, regional director of Santander Corporate and chairman of Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership; Pete Miller, from taxation specialists the Miller Partnership in Museum Square, Leicester; Chris Rees, a partner at the Leicester office of Howes Percival; Jack Ferguson, of Bistro Live; and Debra Heighton, of Turner Insurance Group, in Princess Street West, Leicester.
The event is supported by Shakespeare Martineau, the Nottingham Post and the Leicester Mercury.
Geoff said: "The participants are doing it because they want to change their profile, their perception of what they are doing and also to challenge themselves massively.
"Some people abseil, some people bungie jump and these people are doing stand-up comedy.
"It's something I wouldn't do in a million years so I am in awe of them.
"We provide the framework and then we push them on to the stage on the night and say, 'you can do it', and then they'll do it and they'll be great."
Big Difference Company contributes £3 million to the Leicester economy every year as a direct result of the comedy festival.
The company turns over about £600,000 a year and all profits are reinvested into the charity.
Balcony tickets for the Stand-Up Challenge are still available for £12.50. To book balcony seating, e-mail: katherine@bigdifferencecompany.co.uk
For more details, please visit the Twitter page @StandUpChal or go to: www.standupchallenge.co.uk
