On 24th July 2005, Martin Tomkins won Riffathon Live 2005. This guitar performance competition was judged by Rock legends Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Brian May (Queen) & Dan Hawkins (The Darkness). Martin played Led Zeppelin's classic track 'Rock And Roll' in front of Jimmy Page himself and after hearing 9 other finalists, the judges unanimously picked Martin as 1st prize winner and he was presented with a Goldtop Les Paul from Gibson's custom shop in Nashville USA. The Riffathon competition is organised to raise money for the 'Action For Brazil's Children Trust' (ABC Trust). The charity was founded by Jimmy Page's wife Jimena Page and is now in it's 11th year of helping disadvantaged children and adolescents in Brazil. More recently, Martin was thinking of ways to raise money for ABC Trust and decided to do what he does best - do a gig: "I had such a great experience at Riffathon last year, money could not buy a day like that. I wanted to give something back and the best way I could do that is to support the ABC Trust to bring hope to many children in Brazil. I believe in the great work they do, I know that some people can be reluctant to help those further from home but it doesn't matter to me where people live, we are all human, we all have feelings. These are children and adolescents, who are we to say that their needs are any less than our own? With this in mind, I was quite confident that others would come round to my way of thinking, have a great night and at the same time raise a lot of money as possible for this well deserved charity."

ABC Trust started as a small soup kitchen for impoverished children in the town of Lencois, Bahia in Brazil in 1995. Patrons include Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, whose wife Jimena Page founded the charity, Brazilian soccer star Pele plus Brazilian singer, Bebel Gilberto and Oscar-nominated City of God film director, Fernando Meirelles. ABC Trust’s main aims are to raise awareness and funds to help street children and those at risk in Brazil, lifting them out of despair, poverty and homelessness - empowering children so that they can transform and improve their own lives. ABC Trust brings shelter, food, care, education and training to some of Brazil’s poorest and most vulnerable children. The charity works through a large number of local project partners and helps over 1,000 children each week, focusing on the poorest region – the north-east of Brazil. ABC Trust's current work includes supporting: Seeds of Light (Graos de Luz) in Lencois, Bahia, which provides extra curricular education, craft workshops and educational outreach to about 120 children a week. UNICEF BRASIL winner 2003. Avante Lencois, also in Lencois, Bahia. Includes a community centre housing a newspaper and radio station with additional workshop facilities (literacy, paper recycling, etc.) and a library. The centre also provides nutritional food and runs sports programmes. Over 70 children and young people are involved each week and 250 local families also benefit. Circo Picolino in Salvador, Bahia. This is a children’s circus, which brings together around 200 children. Aided by ABC, 12 former pupils have now gone on to become qualified circus instructors, and are in turn supporting the project. 15 more are benefiting this year. Patronato (Projeto Crianca Urgente) in Pina, Recife, Pernambuco. A day centre project in one of the poorest favelas in Recife providing food, education, arts and crafts, dance and music to more than 170 children every day. Through the programme Mae Mare almost 200 poor women access the project too, generating incomes for their families. Children in Hunger (Criancas Famintas), in Fortaleza, Ceara. This is a food kitchen and community centre for more than 120 children, ABC support allows for the introduction of educational work with paid staff. We in Cinema (Nos do Cinema), in Rio do Janeiro, a special media and film project helping 50 young boys and girls set up by City of God film director Fernando Meirelles. Projeto Renascer, in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba. This project is working to help as many children and young people at risk – over 150 per day - with literacy and other training, including selling products they have made. Casa Jimmy in Rio de Janeiro, which houses up to 15 children and 5 teenage girls at any one time, and is run by sister charity the Task Brasil Trust. Other support includes staffing of a rehabilitation project at Forest House (10 children), a day centre and overnight shelter called Casa Roger Turner (60 children); and a new shelter Casa Charlotte (20 beneficiaries). Abrigo – Luz de Escol in Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro which is an orphanage for up to 28 abandoned and orphaned children. ABC assists with core staff costs so the children can be properly cared for. Viva á Vida - a therapeutic community in Salvador for male street and low income adolescents (aged 14–16) addicted to crack and other drugs. It is the only project of its kind in the city. Up to now young people had to go to adult centres which do not cater for needs of young people, consequently many had dropped out. The charity aims to continue funding existing projects, while developing further programmes to transform more lives. In the UK educational work in schools is to the fore plus campaigns to alert the public to the plight of very disadvantaged children and young people in Brazil. Recent high profile Patrons recruited include Jeremy Irons who agreed to support the Trust after making the BBC Lifeline Appeal on the Trust’s behalf; Brian May, who agreed to support the Trust after sitting on the judging panel of the charity’s nationwide guitar competition; Brazilian fashion innovator, Carlos Miele; top Arsenal footballer, Edu Gaspar; and musician Julian Lloyd-Webber.

If you would like to find out more about the ABC Trust and it's work, please click here!