Canterbury Cathedral hosts charity’s 20th annual Celebration of Christmas event

The carol concert at the iconic venue has become one of the favourites in the charity’s events calendar since the first one was held in 2004, and the milestone last night was extra special.

Almost 1,000 people went along to enjoy an evening of festive readings and timeless carols sung by the Canterbury Cathedral Choir, the Whitstable Oyster Choir and the Demelza Choir.

There were several readings given, including by actress and singer Jenna Russell, Demelza Celebrity Ambassador Cheryl Baker, Demelza CEO Lavinia Jarrett, Vice President Adam Phillips and Trustee George Hunter.

Demelza Celebrity Ambassador Anna-Jane Casey gave a rousing performance of Santa Claus is Coming to Town on her ukulele, accompanied by some Demelza kazoo players.

There was also a moving speech given by Heidi, who features in Demelza’s Christmas appeal this year along with her one-year-old son Jude. She spoke about how her and her partner Ryan’s lives changed when they found out at their 20-week scan that their baby wasn’t developing as he should be.

Heidi went on to explain how Demelza has supported her and her family since the beginning and how she has been able to meet other parents through the charity who understand the challenges faced when your child has a complex condition. She said that while her family doesn’t know what the future holds, they do know Demelza will be there with them, every step of the way.

The event raised £24,000 for Demelza.

Demelza’s Head of Regional Fundraising and Events, Kat Cordrey, said: “It has been an honour to be back at Canterbury Cathedral for our 20^th Celebration of Christmas event.

“It was a fantastic evening which felt very festive, with some lovely readings and outstanding performances by all the choirs.

“It’s always really special for everyone to hear directly from the families we support and we are very grateful to Heidi for giving up her time and for speaking so passionately about Demelza.

“We would like to thank all our supporters who came along to the event and all our readers and singers – it was truly a special night and we’re grateful to everyone who donated. Thank you also to our fantastic sponsors, MTB Events.

“Events like this are so important in raising vital funds to allow us to continue delivering extraordinary care to extraordinary children.”