Macmillan pleads for support as Ripon Cathedral carol concert is cancelled
The Christmas Carol Concert by Candlelight at Ripon Cathedral in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support – which raised more than £34,0000 last year – cannot go ahead this year in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The carol concert is organised by the Yorkshire Macmillan Carol Concert Committee, a dedicated group of volunteers who are still determined to raise whatever funds they can for Macmillan Cancer Support through online donations.
For more than 20 years the concert has been a part of the region’s festivities, flourishing into a well-known annual event supported by Aysgarth School choirs together with the choir and orchestra of Queen Mary's School.
Fundraising Manager for Macmillan, Michaela Ryder, said: “The Macmillan Ripon Carol Concert is a landmark festive event in the region for so many people to come together at Christmas time. Sadly, like many fundraising activities this year, it has fallen victim to the pandemic. However, cancer hasn’t stopped and to make sure cancer doesn’t become the ‘forgotten C’, we’re hopeful the people of Ripon and beyond can still donate via the committee’s website, so Macmillan can continue to be there for people living with cancer.”
Over the years the concerts have raised £430,850 for Macmillan, with the help of donors, sponsors and the audience.
This has provided local services such as funding for professional posts like the Macmillan Children's Cancer Nurse at St James's University Hospital in Leeds, funding for the Macmillan Support Line in Shipley and help in building the new state-of-the-art Sir Robert Ogden Cancer Centre in Northallerton.
In the spirit of Christmas, the charity has createda short video of the 2019 concert to give people a moment to pause, reflect and enjoy the essence of what the concert means.
The committee says it is hopeful of welcoming supporters to the 25th Macmillan Carol Concert, which is planned for Monday, December 6 next year.
View the video at: www.macmillan-org.enthuse.com/yorkshirecarolconcert/profile