Good entertainment for a good cause is the purpose behind a telethon slated between 8 and 10 p.m. this Monday on VSB.

With two hours of entertainment by local musicians, interspersed with information clips and news of donations, organisers promise "an extremely entertaining evening''.

A plethora of local musicians including Gene Steede, the Electronic Symphony, the Smith Family, Michael Fox, Ron Lightbourne, Elton Richardson and many others are slated to appear on the three-hour show.

The event has been organised by the newly formed Consolidated Fund -- three charities that offer services and counselling to victims of physical and sexual abuse.

The Physical Abuse Centre, the Coalition for the Protection of Children and the Institute for Child and Family Health last month joined forces to combine fund raising efforts.

They are aiming to raise up to $800,000 in their first telethon to launch the new fund.

"There will be lots entertainment and most of the musicians in Bermuda will participate,'' said president of the Coalition for the Protection of Children, Mrs. Sheelagh Cooper.

But she urged members of the public to start collecting donations before the event and phone them over the show so their names can be mentioned.

Highlight of the evening will be the telethon's own song sung by all the entertainers, similar to "We are the World'', Mrs. Cooper said.

Last week, Health and Social Services Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness said he was delighted to see the three groups combine forces.

"I think it's good that they have come together to raise funds for their services,'' he said.

"It is very difficult for smaller groups to raise funds because of the huge fund raising efforts taking place. It therefore leaves very little left for the little charities.'' The Minister added that the charities provide much needed services in assisting abused children and their parents.

"It is an essential effort,'' he said. "The conference on violence made us tremendously aware of the size of the problem. One of the things suggested at the conference was networking -- all agencies should network more for the benefit of those they are helping.'' But although the three groups will combine forces for fund raising and planning, each will remain autonomous with separate boards of directors.

"What prompted the decision to combine was that there are an awful lot of small, independent, non-governmental organisations in Bermuda that offer a variety of services, many overlapping,'' Mrs. Cooper said.

"We felt if we were to consolidate our planning process in terms of services we planned for in the future, we were more likely to cover the range of needs more consistently.'' All three organisations share a common goal of preventing violence in the home and treating victims or perpetrators of abuse.

"It was a natural mix,'' Mrs. Cooper said. "Very often our clients are the same people. Our collaboration provides a continuum of services.'' But she said it was important that the charities retain their small size to remain responsive to the needs of abuse victims.

Mrs. Arlene Swan, chairperson of the Physical Abuse Centre admitted the raison d'etre behind the Consolidated Fund was to maximise fund raising efforts.

The move, she said, was similar to that of the Council Partners -- five charitable organisations that fund raise jointly for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse.

"We will network where necessary but will remain different organisations,'' Mrs. Swan said.

Funds raised from the telethon will help provide another safe house for battered women and will fund a training programme for counsellors of batterers in April, she said.

"It will be pretty much the same effort instead of going after the same people,'' she said of the Consolidate Fund. She added that donations may still be still directed specifically to one or other of the charities.

"It is our first telethon and it is going to be a very entertaining evening,'' she promised.

For further information, the The Consolidated Fund can be reached at 295-1150.

Pledges may be accepted through major credit cards, cash or cheque made payable to "The Consolidated Fund''.