16 September 2026
She never missed a chance to party
Chris Maloney is putting a nineteen-piece band into Norwich’s Assembly House on 26 September, in memory of Les, who loved to dance. The money goes to the charity that sits beside the NHS hospice that cared for her.
Lesley Maloney loved to dance. The Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity put it simply: she never missed a chance to party.
On Saturday 26 September her husband, Chris, is hosting a 1940s dinner dance at the Assembly House on Theatre Street in Norwich. There will be a nineteen-piece big band. Tapas, and an auction. He organised the night himself. The money is for the charity.
Les died in December 2025, of cancer. In her last weeks she and the family were looked after at Priscilla Bacon Lodge, the hospice beside the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. On Eventbrite Chris wrote that what they offer is priceless. "Both me and my family will be forever grateful to them."
The charity's listing is the reason for the band. After Les died, Chris wanted to give something back for the support she and the family had from the Lodge. "Les loved to dance and never missed a chance to party, so there could be no better way to honour her memory than with this fundraiser."
Doors at six, finish at half past eleven. 1940s or evening dress if you have it. Tickets are £45 before the booking fee.
The Assembly House has been putting people on a dance floor since it opened in 1755. Thomas Ivory remodelled it for assemblies, cards and balls. Dinner dances still happen in the Noverre Ballroom. Chris picked a building that already knew what to do with a big band.
Core medical care at the Lodge is provided by East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust - that's the nursing. The charity sits beside the contract and pays for other things: complementary therapy, art and music, family transport, the gardens, bereavement support.
The present Lodge, on eight acres next to the hospital, has room for 24 inpatients, and family rooms so relatives can sleep in the building. There is a Living Well Community Hub for people who are still at home. A specialist telephone line answers through the night. The first Lodge, on Unthank Road, opened in 1979 after a county appeal led by Priscilla, Lady Bacon, and was given to the NHS. The new one was a £12.5 million community appeal. Patients moved in during September 2023.