Singing Out for Cancer Relief

Marie Curie Cancer Care asked me to help publicise their Sing Out campaign. They’re asking singing groups, whether regularly constituted or put together specially for the occasion, to help them in their fund-raising with a carol-singing event during November or December.

They also have a carol specially-written by Alan Bullard available for sale, with a proportion of proceeds going to the charity.

It’s a nicely thought-out fund-raising idea. There’s the direct benefit of funds collected, but also all kinds of indirect benefits too. The singing groups will be doing a good bit of publicity for the charity in the process, and the singers involved are also likely to have a much higher awareness of its work as a result.

And there’s a general sense of consonance between the aims of the charity and means of fund-raising. Cancer care is community-minded, it’s helpful, it’s about providing comfort and support simply because it will make people’s lives better. And carol-singing is likewise community-minded, it connects people together, and of all the phases of the Christian calendar, Christmas is the one where the message about the importance of kindness comes through most directly and simply.

(I’d like to think that the reason Christmas is such a widely-celebrated festival beyond practising Christians is not merely because of the commercial extravaganza involved, but also because of this unalloyed feel-good ethos. Yes, I know it appropriated older mid-winter festivals, but at least it did so with a benevolent mythology!)

So, if you hadn’t heard about this already, you have now. More details on their website.