FIVE of the very first female choristers at Durham Cathedral will perform in Yarm this Christmas.

The girls will sing at the Strickland and Holt department store on Saturday, December 22 to raise money for the Butterwick Hospice.

The girls have stayed friends since they met in 2009 when they were among the first class of 21 girl choristers at the cathedral.

One of the four pals, Sarah Dover, 14, is from the Yarm area and wanted to raise money for the charity. She contacted Emily Bullock, 13, Louise Gerth, 13 and twins Beatrice and Susannah Smellie to help.

Sarah’s mother, Marie Dover, said: “It’s lovely they’ve all stayed friends and are getting together for such a good cause. It was such an opportunity for them and quite an intense thing, so they all became firm friends.”

The performance will take place at 11am.