The Spirit of Christmas

A candlelit carol concert to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

A massed choir of children will lead the service from Stagecoach Theatre Arts London Choir alongside some highly anticipated performances from the Quartlet of the IDMC Gospel Choir and Southwark Cathedral's own Lay Clerks.

The programme will include a number of great congregational favourites including "Silent Night" and "Ding Dong Merrily on High" and "O Happy Day".

There will be a string of VIP guests attending the concert, including the Deputy Mayor of Southwark, Mackie Sheik, who will do one of the readings. Members of the Stagecoach choir will read more light-hearted pieces such as "Christmas at the Cratchit's" by Charles Dickens and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" by John Julius Norwich.

This will be the first year that the Cathedral has hosted this special candlelit concert. This year will be even more of a celebration as it coincides with the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign's Head Office move to Southwark Street which took place in August. The organisation had previously been based in Clapham Common.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign hopes to raise as much money as possible at The Spirit of Christmas. The money raised from this year's service will help fund research, information and care for people with muscular dystrophy and other related conditions in London and across the UK.