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20th January 2008

St Albans Symphony Orchestra collects more than £1,000 for charity

For the second year running, St Albans Symphony Orchestra has raised more than £1,000 for charities through its musical activities over the Christmas and New Year period.

A retiring collection at the orchestra’s Scottish-themed New Year Family Concert in St Albans Abbey collected £701. The money was divided between Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) supporting research into heart conditions among young people in the UK, and OXFAM's international appeal on behalf of the victims of Cyclone Sidr which destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes in Bangladesh in November.

The orchestra's brass section, meanwhile, raised £376 by playing carols to shoppers passing the city's Clock Tower on the two Saturdays before Christmas. Their collection for the Multiple Sclerosis Society was supplemented by an evening of carol singing in the Lancaster Road area.

James Ross, the orchestra's conductor, said: "Fund raising for charity continues to be an important part of our activities and we would, once again, like to offer our warmest thanks to everyone who contributed so generously. The equivalent collections a year ago just passed the £1,000 mark, and we are delighted to have taken the total this time just a little bit higher."

For further information, contact:

David Utting, SASO Press Officer 01727 762855