Volunteers from the CAFOD group in a sea of performers during the concert.

A community choir from Preston have helped to raise over £1000 for the charity CAFOD.

The Skylarks Community Choir, from St Mary’s Church, Bamber Bridge, hosted an evening of entertainment that filled the entire church.

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The choir, that is made up of 130 men and women, sold over 300 tickets and raised £2400 which was then split between Skylarks Community Choir and the overseas aid agency CAFOD.

The choir was set up by Jane Swarbrick four years ago and aims to provide a fun and inclusive environment for people to sing in, helping them to improve their health and wellbeing.

Members in the choir range from 20-90 years old, and the group embraces different backgrounds, including some people with dementia and other health conditions.

At the concert the choir sang hits from artists such as Vera Lynn and hosted a singalong section to encourage the audience to get involved.

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The evening went down a storm and was described as ‘uplifting’ with people dancing down the aisles.

Linda Swarbrick, Member of the CAFOD group at St Mary’s, said:

“The concert was a great success, and it was a brilliant way of raising money for those who are less fortunate than us. Organising the concert was a team effort.

“It was such an uplifting atmosphere – you could see by their faces that the choir members loved it, and the CAFOD group, and other parishioners enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the event.

“Organising it is hard work, but not ‘hard’ work if that makes sense – it’s a pleasure to do it.”

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Jane Swarbrick, choir leader, said: “We all loved performing in the concert and we’re delighted to be able to make a contribution towards the excellent work undertaken by CAFOD.”

CAFOD aims to help some of the poorest people overseas to help themselves by equipping them with the skills and opportunities needed to live with dignity, support their families and give something back to their communities.

You can see what CAFOD do and donate to them online.

Did you watch the Skylarks choir? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below