A CELEBRATED choir was in full voice as it welcomed the season in song.
St Teresa’s Hospice Staff and Supporters Choir staged their ‘Autumn Sing’ charity concert at the Bannatyne Hotel, Darlington.
The choir, made up of hospice volunteers, staff and supporters, performed a medley of folk, pop, gospel and novelty songs to a packed audience.
The musical extravaganza, which is hoped will raise in excess of £1,000, helps to fund the hospice, which provides free care for the people of Darlington, South Durham and North Yorkshire affected by life-limiting illness.
St Teresa’s Hospice chief executive Jane Bradshaw said: “It is wonderful to see so many people here tonight supporting our choir and in turn supporting St Teresa’s.
“The whole reason we started singing was to help raise as much money as we could for the hospice. Our day, in-patient and community services cost around £3m each year to maintain, all funded by public donations and proceeds from our charity shops and events like this.
“The choir initially began as a dare at one of our staff workshops to see if we would sing a song at our annual Christmas Cracker Concert in 2017. We did and it has continued to grow from there.”
Since then, the 20-strong choir has sung at three hospice concerts, performed as guests at the Darlington Sing event, given two recitals in The Cornmill Centre and will be making a third appearance at this year’s St Teresa’s Hospice Christmas Cracker Concert, at The Dolphin Centre, on December 21.
Singers were accompanied on the evening by musicians Peter Bradshaw on lead guitar, Harriet Bradshaw on cello and James Hughes on bass guitar.
Tickets for the St Teresa’s Supersonic Cash Christmas Raffle, to be drawn on Christmas Eve, were on sale, with prizes of £1,500, £750 and £250 up for grabs and concert-goers were also given a chance to buy cupcakes, baked goods and bespoke gifts from the new St T’s Little Gems semi-precious jewellery range.
Choir member and hospice supporter Carol Charlton added: “I was asked to join the choir after its first rehearsal and have been here ever since.
“I think St Teresa’s has touched just about everyone in Darlington at one time or another. We are so privileged to have such an amazing hospice. I think it is the best in the world and it is an honour to be able to help them raise funds for the vital work they do.”