Life of Byker Grove and Emmerdale star Dale Meeks to be celebrated in fundraising show in North Shields

The Byker Grove and Emmerdale star died suddenly in April aged 48 and now The Dale Meeks Together We’ll Be Okay Trust, which was set up in his memory, will celebrate his life with a fundraising show at Exchange 1856 on Sunday, October 15.

Charlie Hardwick, Dave Johns, Jayne Mackenzie, Steffen Peddie, and Craig Richardson will be among those performing and sharing tributes in ‘A Night for Dale’ to raise money for the trust, which will produce educational theatre and give opportunities to young performers in the region.

A spokesperson for the show said: “We wanted to remember Dale and set up a trust in memory of him, Together We'll be Ok, which was a Cannon and Ball favourite of his.

“Organising a night to celebrate his life seemed the best way to start and launch the trust.

“We were inundated by response from Dale’s friends and have a host of fantastic talent, all wanting to contribute, including Mr I Daniel Blake himself, Dave Johns, and the lovely Charlie Hardwick from Emmerdale, to name a few.

“The night will be jam packed with comedy, musical theatre and sketches highlighting Dale’s life and career.”

Dale began acting as a child in productions at The Tyne Theatre before debuting in BBC drama Byker Grove alongside Ant and Dec, where he played a gang leader from rival youth club Denton Burn.

He went on to play Simon Meredith in Emmerdale and also played roles in Breeze Block, Heartbeat, George Gently, Casualty, and more.

He also featured in numerous stage shows and had begun writing pantomimes.

His last performance saw him play Rory Sutcliffe in 2023 ITV drama The Hunt for Raoul Moat.

Tickets for the show, priced at £20, are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/dales-trust.