MUSIC lovers are being promised a Christmas cracker as the region’s best choristers join together for an annual fundraiser.

St Teresa’s Hospice, which serves the people of Darlington, South Durham and North Yorkshire, will again benefit from the 14th annual extravaganza.

The event will be held at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre on Saturday, December 20 at 7pm, and will feature the Tees Valley Youth Choir and members of musical ensembles, schools, choral and operatic groups.

More than 150 singers will be supported by a 40-piece orchestra under the direction of John Forsyth.

Volunteers meet only twice for rehearsals. “But you will not believe the sheer quality of the performance,” said St Teresa’s Hospice chief executive Jane Bradshaw.

“John manages to create a magic which is unsurpassed making the concert a Christmas festivity not to be missed.”

Tickets are £10 for adults and £6 for children. They are available from the hospice, St Teresa’s charity shops in Skinnergate, Cockerton and Mowden, or by calling 01325-254321, or email events@darlingtonhospice.org.uk

Last year around 600 people attended the concert, which raises around £3,000 for the charity.

St Teresa’s supports patients with life-threatening conditions and their families offering a host of services and treatments.

It needs more than £2m a year to continue its work and is embarking on a major fundraising drive to finance a new ten bed inpatient unit due to be built in the grounds next year.