Special Christmas concert to raise money for Salisbury Foodbank

The St John Singers’ Magic of Christmas Concert is now in its 32nd year, and will held at St Thomas's Church, in St Thomas's Square.

There will be a blend of new carols with traditional favourites and audience participation, ensuring a festive and enjoyable evening.

Tickets are £15 and the proceeds from the evening will be donated to the foodbank. 

John Pitt-Brooke is chairman of the board at the foodbank, and told the Journal the charity has had its busiest ever year. 

The figures back this up. In November, the charity released its statistics for emergency food parcel distribution from April to September 2022.

It provided 3594 emergency food parcels to people who couldn’t afford the essentials in Salisbury and South Wiltshire between April to September this year – 1292 of these went to children.

This is a 33 per cent increase from the same period in 2021/22, and a 52 per cent increase from the same period in the pre-pandemic year of 2019/20.

John explained that the foodbank has been able to meet the increased demand thanks to the generosity of the people of Salisbury, both in terms of financial donations and food donations. 

The foodbank has recently joined forces with Central Fruits, providing boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as forming a partnership with Citizens Advice. 

John said: "People are finding it difficult to feed their families, but they need more than just food. It is only a short-term solution.

"The beauty of the partnership with Citizens Advice is it can help people with their debt, and what has been particularly successful is helping people claim benefits they didn't know they were entitled to." 

Frances Ptt-Brooke and John Pitt-Brooke (Image: Newsquest)

Frances Pitt-Brooke is a soprano in the choir and has been singing in it for around seven years. 

Frances, who is married to John, said the concert is the highlight of the year for the choir. They have been rehearsing since October for the big night. 

"It's a very special night for us, and we have been looking forward to it all year", she said.

Other performers include the musical director/conductor, Stephen Abbott, the accompanist Samuel Bristow, and guest performers: Gallery Brass, Lucinda Cox – Soprano, and Tom Jesty – Pianist. 

There will also be a raffle on the night, with prizes including bottles of champagne and a hamper. 

The concert starts at 7.30pm on Tuesday, December 20. Tickets are £15 and include a glass of wine and a mince pie during the interval. 

For more information, click here.