A special concert is to be held this Saturday (15 October) at The Albion Church in Ashton to raise funds for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Organised by the Do Your Thing Choir the concert will include Ukrainian folk songs and artists.

Do Your Thing raised more than £10,000 in lockdown through its music videos for charities including The Christie and MIND.

The Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal is providing help for the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians displaced by the war.

Liz Taylor, from DYT, said: “We are hosting ‘An Evening of Hope for Ukraine’ for the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal at the church. 

“Do Your Thing (DYT) will be performing and will be joined by the DYT Kids Choir as well as the newly formed DYT Youth Choir for an evening of celebration and song.

“We are delighted to be joined by Maria Petrovska, who will be playing the bandura (a Ukranian stringed instrument) and singing modern arrangements of Ukranian folk songs, Maksym Komisarchuk, star of the Ukranian version of ‘The Voice Kids’ and the Queen of Gospel - Carla Jane - so it is going to be an amazing evening which we are all looking forward to.

“It is so humbling to know that we are helping to make a difference by doing something that we love,” added Liz.

Doors open at the church at 7pm and the concert will start at 7.30pm.

Tickets for the concert are available through the website and are £6 for adults and £3 for children. 

A JustGiving page set up for anyone who cannot attend but would like to donate, can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/aneveningofhope 

Some 200 tickets have already been sold and it is hoped the event will be a sell out - with the church able to seat some 300 for the concert itself in splendid surroundings.

All proceeds and donations from the night will go to the appeal.

Liz told us that new members are always welcome and when people join the choir they are sure to find an instant sense of ‘community and family’.

“It is scary going into a choir for the first time but there are no solos and everyone comes together and there is such a warm feeling of togetherness,” she said.

The choir she says concentrates on singing feel good songs, songs that move people and songs that deliver a message - so expect a concert full of uplifting music that is aimed at reaching out and touching everyone.

Ashton DYT member Liz Hampshire has been with the choir for a year.

She said she had been looking to join a choir for a while and spotted a video of DYT and knew she wanted to be part of it.

“It’s just really joyful and I know even if I have had a really tough day at work that in the evening I can come to the choir and it’s my biggest lift of the week and it’s like I leave different after singing and singing with different people as well.”

The local branch meets at The Albion every Tuesday - so just call in to find out more between 8pm and 9.30pm when the choir is rehearsing or find out more on the DYT website at www.dytchoir.co.uk 

Images by Nigel Wood

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