On Friday, 14th December, support The Hands Up foundation, established by the locally born artist and illustrator, George Butler and three friends.

Kate Hicks Beach, Natanya Phillips and Jackie Colburn will present what has become an annual Christmas concert of music and words featuring the Coln Choir, solo singers and seasonal readings read by actors.

This year they are once again supporting the amazing charity Hands Up Foundation and will be “Singing for Syrians”.

The charity seeks to aid those people caught up in the Syrian crisis, left without homes, education, access to hospitals and in many cases hope. They work very closely with Syrians in Syria and this year have funded the salaries of 22 medical staff in Aleppo £150,000; supported the Syrian Project for Prosthetic Limbs with a contribution of £80,000 – (there are an estimated 50,000 amputees in Syria, the average cost for a prosthetic limb above the knee is £500) and in partnership with Syria Relief, are funding medical training in Idleb City £105,000 with a view to lessening the imbalance in demand and supply for medical care. This imbalance is due to the fact that most specialised personnel have fled the country over the past 5 years and a large number of medical students have not been able to complete their studies and receive a degree.