MUSICIANS and friends are rallying round a desperately ill Dorchester singer who plans to buy himself enough time to be best man at his son’s wedding.

Members of the local music scene are holding a series of gigs and going on a sponsored diet to raise money for throat cancer sufferer Steve Charles.

Steve, 55, is running out of options after being told that surgeons can’t safely operate on a tumour at the back of his tongue, which has returned for a third time.

If the tumour was taken out, Steve, who has been a singer for 30 years, would be unable to speak and would be permanently fed through a tube.

He is now seeking photodynamic therapy in Florida – a microlaser surgery treatment unavailable in this country that gradually burns away tumours through an inserted tube.

“It’s not a cure. It’s a stay of execution to make my quality of life better.

“My son Stefan asked me on Christmas Eve if I would be best man at his wedding in June next year.

“I’ve got my carrot in front of me now and something to aim for,” he said.

Steve still insists on continuing to work as a caretaker at the Corn Exchange but longs to be able to sing again.

He said: “Having been a professional singer and the front man of Nobby’s Cousins for a long time, not being able to sing is a bit like David Beckham losing his legs.

“Singing is my life. The last time I sang was in South Street on July 4 last year.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sing again. I’ve written songs and when I play them on my guitar and try to sing and can’t do it – I feel so angry.”

The show of support flooding in for dad-of-two Steve – including a special website and a Facebook page – was humbling, he said.

“I know it’s a cliché but people shouldn’t take things for granted. You think that you can live forever when you’re young.

“I’ve had a brilliant, brilliant life and music has given me that opportunity to play in a band with that camaraderie.

“The groups that are now playing for me, I’ve watched flourish as musicians from being young and now they’re coming to support me.

“I have to get a lot done. Although I’ve had a great life there’s still a lot more of it to live.”