Supporting the Cure Usher Ball 2026 Raising Awareness Through Art

On Saturday 26th September 2026, the Cure Usher Ball returned to The Manchester Deansgate Hotel for another spectacular evening of fundraising, entertainment and celebrity support.

Organised by actors Mark Jordon and Laura Norton, the annual event brought together familiar faces from television, music and entertainment to raise awareness and vital funds for Cure Usher Syndrome.

This year's event was another tremendous success, raising an incredible £56,000 for the charity, helping support its mission to fund research and work towards finding a treatment for Usher Syndrome.

I was honoured to support the event once again as Mr. Sly, contributing one of my signature diamond dust Marilyn Monroe artworks to the charity auction. It was fantastic to see the power of art being used to support such an important cause and help make a difference to families affected by this condition.

A Star Studded Evening of Entertainment

The 2026 Cure Usher Ball welcomed an impressive line-up of celebrity guests and performers, making it a memorable night for everyone involved.

The evening's entertainment included:

• Hosts: Television personality and presenter Gemma Atkinson, alongside radio presenter Matt Haslam, took to the stage to host the evening.

• Live Performance: Former Coronation Street actress and singer Catherine Tyldesley delivered a special musical performance, including a moving rendition of For Good from the musical Wicked.

• Headline Entertainment: Cleopatra Higgins, from the iconic girl group Cleopatra, brought the music and energy to the evening with a special performance.

• Celebrity Guests: Stars from Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks came together to show their support, including familiar faces from across the television industry.

Alongside the entertainment, the evening featured a fundraising auction, with guests generously bidding on exclusive experiences and prizes to help raise as much money as possible for the charity.

Supporting Through Art

I'm incredibly proud to have supported Cure Usher through my artwork.

For the 2026 ball, I donated one of my diamond dust Marilyn Monroe artworks, giving guests the opportunity to bid on an original piece of my work while contributing towards an incredibly worthwhile cause.

As an artist, I believe art can do more than simply look beautiful on a wall. It can bring people together, create opportunities and help support causes that genuinely matter.

Seeing the event raise an incredible £56,000 is something everyone involved should be proud of. Every donation, every auction bid and every person who attended played a part in making that happen.

A huge thank you to Mark, Laura, the entire Cure Usher team, the performers, celebrity supporters and everyone who contributed to making the evening such a success.

What Is Usher Syndrome?

Usher Syndrome is a rare inherited genetic condition that causes a combination of hearing loss and progressive vision loss. Some people with the condition also experience problems with balance.

There are three main types of Usher Syndrome, each with different characteristics and degrees of hearing and vision impairment.

The progressive vision loss associated with Usher Syndrome is caused by Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a condition affecting the light-sensitive cells in the retina at the back of the eye.

Symptoms often begin with night blindness and reduced peripheral vision, gradually progressing to tunnel vision and, in many cases, severe sight loss.

For Mark and Laura's children, Jesse and Ronnie, being diagnosed with Usher Syndrome means facing the prospect of progressively losing their sight alongside their existing hearing difficulties. It is an unimaginable challenge for any family.

However, rather than allowing the diagnosis to define their future, Mark and Laura have dedicated themselves to raising awareness, supporting research and fighting for better treatment options for children and families affected by the condition.

Their determination has helped bring Usher Syndrome into the public eye and created a growing community of people determined to make a difference.

There is currently no widely available cure, but research continues to offer hope for future treatments.

Why It Matters

Usher Syndrome remains relatively unknown to many people, despite being one of the leading genetic causes of combined hearing and vision loss.

Greater awareness means more understanding, more research funding and more opportunities to develop treatments that could change lives.

The work being done by Cure Usher is incredibly important, not just for Jesse and Ronnie, but for thousands of people and families affected by the condition.

I'm proud to have played a small part in supporting this mission through my artwork, and I look forward to seeing what the charity can achieve in the years ahead.

To everyone involved in Cure Usher 2026, congratulations on raising an incredible £56,000.

To find out more about the charity, its research and how you can support its work, visit:

https://cureushersyndrome.com/

Together, we can raise awareness, raise funds and raise hope.