Festival of Carols raises huge sum for local charities.
Ely Cathedral was full when Cambridgeshire Freemasons, in association with the Dean and Chapter together with sponsors, presented the sixth biennial Festival of Carols on 9 December 2016.
Laura Wright was again the star performer accompanied by the Cathedral choir and the Ely Imps under the guiding hand of Paul Trepte, Director of Music at the Cathedral. She sang well known favourites such as Hallelujah and In the Bleak Mid-Winter which were received with rapturous applause from the 1,000 people present.
The carols were supplemented by festive readings. The evening concluded with an address by Claire Wright describing how the Children’s Hospice at Milton offered such valuable support to her family when her 14 month old son was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease. He died 2 months later in Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Proceeds will be divided between the Cathedral and East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices. The evening was a brilliant start to the Tercentenary celebrations of the United Grand Lodge of England which will continue throughout 2017. Members of the Lodge of Provincial Grand Stewards were on duty to ensure that arrangements ran smoothly.