MUSIC lovers are being promised a Christmas cracker as the region’s best choristers join together for a prestigious annual fundraiser.
St Teresa’s Hospice, which serves the people of Darlington, South Durham and North Yorkshire, will again benefit from the 14th annual extravaganza.
To be staged at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre on Saturday December 20 at 7pm, the Christmas Cracker will feature the Tees Valley Youth Choir and members of musical ensembles, schools, choral and operatic groups.
More than 150 singers will be supported by a 40-piece orchestra under the direction of John Forsyth.
Volunteers meet only twice for rehearsals. “But you will not believe the sheer quality of the performance,” said St Teresa’s Hospice chief executive Jane Bradshaw.
“John manages to create a magic which is unsurpassed making the concert a Christmas festivity not to be missed.”
Tickets are £10 for adults and £6 for children. They are available from the hospice, St Teresa’s charity shops in Skinnergate, Cockerton and Mowden, or by phone on (01325) 254321, or by email at events@darlingtonhospice.org.uk.
Concertgoers will be treated to choirs, ensembles, jazz quartets and soloists with a high degree of audience participation and a varied seasonal musical programme.
Last year about 600 people attended the concert, which raises around £3,000 for the charity.
St Teresa’s supports patients with life-threatening conditions and their families offering a host of services and treatments.
It needs more than £2m a year to continue its work and is embarking on a major fundraising drive to finance a new ten bed inpatient unit due to be built in the grounds next year.
The single storey building will be attached to the new Woodland Annexe forming a courtyard effect next to the main grade II listed building.
In-patients will be able to enjoy en-suite ground floor rooms that open onto a beautiful garden, with the emphasis placed on ambiance and comfort and with necessary medical equipment cleverly hidden away, including a piped oxygen supply.
Tracked ceiling hoists will allow patients with mobility issues the chance to transfer easily from bed to bathroom for showers and a bariatric room.
Under-floor heating, ventilation and controllable mood lighting will create the perfect ambience for individuals.
Families will be able to use a new visitor room and the existing six-bed unit in the old Woodlands building will be reconfigured providing overnight accommodation for relatives instead of them having to stay in patients’ rooms.
The listed building will also remain a day centre for a host of activities, bereavement support and counselling.
For more information on the hospice visit its website at www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk.
