A NIGHT of live music to raise awareness of depressive illness will take place in Peel next month.

RADIUS 2011 - which stands for Raising Awareness of Depressive Illness and Uniting Against Stigma - will feature some of the Isle of Man's top music acts, as well as London-based musicians Will Greener and Marcus Bonfanti.

It takes place at Peel Centenary Centre on Saturday, February 19, starting promptly at 7.30pm.

The concert is organised by John Gregory who organised the first RADIUS concert in 2009 at the Centenary Centre which sold out and raised £700 for mental health charities.

John, who is the chief reporter at isleofman.com, explained the reasons for the concert.

"I have suffered episodes of depression over the years and despite it being a common illness - depressive illness affects one in four people in their lifetime - it can often be misunderstood.

"Unfortunately I still hear of circumstances where there is still stigma attached to it and a general lack of understanding - though I do believe things are definitely changing and there are positive developments to shout about in this regard.

"The Time To Change campaign in England for example, which has the support of a number of TV personalities and sports people who have suffered from depression, is absolutely excellent and has been at the forefront of challenging any pre-conceived ideas people may have about depression and other mental illnesses.

"Depression can affect anyone and there are a range of ways it can be treated."

There will be leaflets and information available on the night which people can take away.

John added: "Suffering from the illness is difficult to deal with. It is a very serious and horrible illness - even though I have worked with words on a daily basis all my professional life I find it difficult to explain how terrible - at its worst - it can be.

"In my own particular case I seem to suffer from episodes for no reason.

"For other people it may be triggered by an event or events in their lives - it is different in every case.

"But the reason why I decided to hold the original concert was because I felt I could play a very small part in perhaps bringing the condition to the fore. I have also previously written in the media about the illness and how it has affected me personally. I am not ashamed to say I have suffered from it - nor should I be.

"I am naturally a very confident person and I am passionate about every aspect of my life - but when I have an episode of depression these qualities tend to disappear.

"In fact one or two people have commented to me in the past that they are surprised I could suffer from depression because I am generally so happy - but perhaps this just goes to show that some people may believe only a certain 'type' of person could suffer from this illness.

"I want to make it clear that it is absolutely not - in anyway shape or form - a sign of weakness, nor can sufferers 'pull themselves together' anymore than someone with two broken legs could run a marathon.

"The reason I am holding another concert is that I love music. I gain an incredible amount of pleasure from it - but again, when I am ill my relationship with it changes. I find I cannot enjoy it the same, if at all, as many sufferers find themselves unable to gain pleasure from activities they would usually enjoy.

"The purpose of the night is to have relevant information available. If just one person takes away a leaflet for themselves or a friend and that information may help in some small way then, as far as I am concerned, the event is a huge success.

"But, I must emphasise that predominately this event will be a great night of live music and it will be an enjoyable event, tickets are available now and everyone is welcome to come along."

John, who plays guitar in blues duo Blue John and Papa Cass, added: "There was a lovely atmosphere at the first event in 2009 and there is a great line up this year, with money raised from ticket sales going once again to the Service Users' Network, a Manx mental health charity, and a leading UK mental health charity.

"This event is being run with support from TalisMann Promotions and I am very grateful for its help."

This will be the first RADIUS concert Katherine Crowe, Dave and Alanna McLean, Truman Falls and headliner Marcus Bonfanti have performed at.

Blue John and Papa Cass (who will be appearing with a series of special guests) and harmonica ace Will Greener also performed at the first RADIUS concert.

Tickets are £10, (£5 concessions for under 16s/over 65s) and are available now from Celtic Gold, Peel, Peter Norris Music, Douglas and Shakti Man, Ramsey. They are also available online  from www.etickets.im/centenarycentre.asp