Choirs benefit charities to the tune of £850

Cheques to the tune of £800 have been received by for charities thanks to a night of song.

This is the fourth year that Oban Gaelic Choir has organised a concert as part of the town’s Winter Festival.

About 250 people packed St John’s Cathedral to enjoy performances by eight choirs.

The evening made a total of £850 and this week representatives from four charities gathered at The Royal Hotel to receive their cheques, sharing the funds raised. The remaining £50 was used to thanks the youngest performers from Rockfield Primary School Choir.

Oban Gaelic Choir’s Mary Catherine MacLean said a big thank you to all the choirs who took part, to St John’s Cathedral for the use of the space and to all who supported and turned out to the event.

The choirs  were Oban Gaelic Choir, Oban Bach Choir, Oban Community Singers, Taynuilt Gaelic Choir, Rockfield Primary School, Dàn, The Minees and St John’s Cathedral Choir.

Davy Macdonald from Fèis Latharna that provides traditional music and Gaelic arts tuition to 8 to 18-year-olds said the donation meant a lot. “We can carry on expanding the work we do with more than 200 young people across Oban and Lorn,” he added.

Hope Kitchen service manager Catriona petit said their share of the concert funds would buy extra treats to put in the 600 hampers they will be sending out to people in need this Christmas.

Home-Start Lorn’s Kelly MacColl said the family aid organisation’s work with groups and one-to-one support relies totally on funds from people’s generosity and giving. Currently it is supporting more than 133 families in the area.

And Joan Best from Crossroads North Argyll said with getting new referrals every day for respite for unpaid carers, the money was much appreciated to keep up its good work. The service, which is free, is in such demand there are 11 people on the waiting list.

 

Caption: Oban Gaelic Choir representatives hand over the cheques to four charities benefitting from funds raised at a Winter Festival concert at St John’s Cathedral featuring voices from the area
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