A reunion for clubbers who used to frequent the Friday all night Odyssey sessions at the Brunel Rooms raised more than £1,200 for young people's charities.

Markus Lehmann was a resident DJ at the venue from 1986 to 1993 under the name DJ Dex and the fifty-year-old wanted to do something special to mark three decades since the nights started.

The event, on September 11 at Christchurch Community Centre supported two local charities, raising £600 for each of them.

“The night went really well,” said Markus, “Odyssey was at the Brunel Rooms every Friday between 1990 and 1993. Thousands of people turned up and went through those doors.

“At the time that was the first night-club in the South West doing all-nighters, so it was a significant period for us."

The reunion wasn't quite an all-nighter but Markus said: “We tried to make it as authentic as we possibly could. We got retro banners printed and put them on the walls.”

“We wanted to raise money for two fantastic local charities, CALM : Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Movement and BEST - Be A Better You.

“Loads of people bought tickets, some bought them just to give to the cause, but we were able to raise £1200, so £600 for each charity which was great!”

CALM is run by parents who have all experienced what it is like to have a child diagnosed with cancer and helps families of children receiving treatment at the Great Western Hospital.

Markus himself knows all too well how vital this service is, because his son Declan was diagnosed with cancer and help from CALM was crucial in getting the family through it.

BEST - Be A Better You, provides a valuable mentoring service for young people in Swindon to give them the best possible chance of succeeding in whatever it is they want to do.

A number of other Swindon-based DJs also gave up their time to perform at the event including DJ Faydz, DJ Incision, DJ Menace, Mc Angel and Donovan “Badboy” Smith.

After recovering from the heavy night, which ended at 11pm because most of the people attending are now a lot older than they were in their heyday, Markus presented two cheques to the two charities in question.

The night received rave reviews from clubbers and was such a success that Markus is now considering making it a more regular thing, to raise more money for much-needed charities.

“It’s important that we keep doing more, local charities have been forgotten, especially during the pandemic, and they need our support.”