The Carers Trust is holding an online carol service next week to raise funds for the ‘unsung heroes’ of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The virtual event, which includes celebrity readers like Emma Thompson and Hugh Bonneville, comes from St John Smith’s Square in Westminster and premiers at 6:30pm on Thursday 10 December.
The Carers Trust supports unpaid carers in the UK through a network of 123 services that have all been on hand to help people struggling through the pandemic.
The trust’s senior fundraising manager Jane Quayle said: “Many unpaid carers have been shielding and have not been able to leave their homes for months at a time.
“Loneliness is something that unpaid carers experienced in normal times so it’s really important for us to to raise their profile and funds to meet their needs.”
The City of London choir will be performing with leading choral conductor, Hilary Davan Wetton.
The trust campaigns for unpaid carer rights, runs support groups and provides replacement care as well as information on how to access benefits.
An emergency appeal in April raised £440,000 for the trust and the funds have gone to help the 500,000 unpaid carers they can reach through their network.
However, Quayle stressed that more needs to be done.
She said: “There are at least seven million unpaid carers in the UK today.
“So obviously, there’s a huge need for us to be able to increase our reach and support.”
The service has already attracted people from around the world with tickets bought in the United Stated and Sweden.
Tickets cost £10 and an account must be created with Vimeo, with the ticket fee taken at the time of premier.
The service will be available to play on demand after the performance.
To sign up, please visit the Vimeo page HERE
For more information, visit the St John Smith’s Church page HERE
