Take your pick of charity Christmas caroling events in London and do a little good this December.
If there was ever a time to be charitable, Christmas would be it. You might have noticed come December people in the office start to get a little cheerier, your boss might even let you go home early because of, you know, good will and all that. So, when planning your festive activities this year, make sure one of them contributes to a good cause.
Christmas caroling is a December staple and by attending one of these charity-run events you’ll benefit from a lot more than feeling like you did a good deed. Most of them are held in atmospheric churches (some are conducted purely by candlelight) and have appearances from celebrities such as Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie.
These events are going on all over London, so whatever your postcode there should be one in a manageable distance to you. So what are you waiting for, snap up a ticket and get practicing those high notes!
Phab Charity Carol Concert at St James's Church, Piccadilly
Phab is a wonderful charity that inspires and supports children, young people and adults with and without disabilities to make more of life together. It concentrates on breaking down community barriers, reducing social isolation, and creating opportunities for disabled people to enjoy the same activities and challenges as, and alongside, those without a disability.
On 9 December, Phab will be holding a charity carol concert in London’s West End at the beautiful and historic St James’s Church. The London Concord Singers will be there, conducted by Jessica Norton with organist Ben Comeau. Joining them will be the Mind & Soul Choir and Bromley High School for Girls Chamber Choir, who will also be belting out both choral and festive tunes.
The evening will be hosted by journalist and broadcaster Mik Scarlet, and there’s even talk of guest celebrity appearances.
When: 9 December, 7pm – 8.45pm.
Where: St James’s Church, Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL.
How much: £15.
Cancer Research UK Carol Concert at St Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s
Cancer Research UK and Avon have come together to host a magical night of Christmas carols, festive readings and live music at the magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral in Central London.
Helen George, Emily Watson OBE and Dominic West will all be there to entertain guests, as well as lots of festive sing-songing.
Cancer Research UK is the world’s largest charity dedicated to saving lives through research, for which funding is obviously crucial. All of the money raised at this year’s event will support vital research to find new, better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.
When: 10 December, 6.45pm – 8.15pm
Where: St. Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Churchyard, London, EC4M 8AD.
How much: £10 – £120.
The Committee of Supporting Wounded Veterans Carol Concert at St Columba’s
Supporting Wounded Veterans works hard to help those who have been injured through their time in war keep their independence by helping them get back into employment. They do this through five routes: sport habilitation, mentoring, pain management, occupation and employment and a veteran support network.
You can learn more about them and the work they do at their Christmas carol event, where there will be performances from the Chelsea Chamber Choir conducted by Oliver Lallemant and the Choir of Wetherby Prep.
There will also be readings from Mishal Husain, Sebastian Faulks, Rory Bremner as well as some Veterans.
You can opt to Sponsor a Ski before the event, and on the day you’ll find your name (or the name of a loved one if you so choose) engraved in a ski on the programme.
When: 3 December, from 6.45pm until 9pm.
Where: St Columba’s, Pont Street, London, SW1X 0BD.
How much: A donation.
MS Society’s Carols by Candlelight at St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate church
We think Game of Thrones fans will be rather excited about this event, which sees the reunion of tragic lovers Jon Snow and Ygritte, aka Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie, as they make their first public appearance since the end of the epic series. At Carols by Candlelight they’ll appear alongside a host of other celebrities lending their support to the charity which helps over 100,000 people living with MS in the UK.
The night will support the MS Society’s Stop MS Appeal, which needs to raise £100 million to find treatments for everyone with multiple sclerosis (MS). Other stars making an appearance include Dragon Den’s Deborah Meaden, Spooks actor Nicola Walker, twice gold medal winning Paralympian Kadeena Cox MBE, and comedian Paul Merton.
As well as traditional carols, mulled wine, mince pies, and a seasonal sing-a-long, there will be a gospel choir led by Jermaine Jackman – political activist and winner of The Voice 2014.
When: 10 December, from 7pm.
Where: St. Botolph-without-Bishopsgate, EC2M 3TL.
How much: from £40.
Fight for Sight’s Carols in the City at St Stephen Walbrook
Sophie Thompson, best known for her appearances in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Persuasion and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, will be doing a reading at this year’s Carols in the City by Fight for Sight. The evening will aid the work of the charity which aims to raise money for vital eye research into preventing sight loss and treating eye disease. In fact, their pioneering research has already led to transformational treatments and improved the possibility of future cures.
The night will entail carols sung by candlelight alongside a performance from the Medici choir, as well as some talks from researchers as well as people living with sight loss.
When: 3 December, 5pm until 8pm.
Where: Saint Stephens Church, 39 Walbrook, London, EC4N 8BN
How much: from £30
Children’s charity Hop, Skip and Jump’s Christmas Carols with a Twist at The Pickle Factory
Instead of singing traditional carols, why not let loose this year and belt out some of your favourite festive pop classics instead? At this quirky event you can sing-a-long to the likes of The Pogues and Mariah Carey with a live 10 piece brass band and a selection of DJs and guest rappers.
When: 6 December from 7pm.
Where: The Pickle Factory, 13-14 The Oval, London E2 9DU.
How much: Tickets are priced at £25.
The ‘Macmillan Christmas’ Carol Concert at Grosvenor Chapel
Join The Great British Bake Off’s Prue Leith and Killing Eve star Edward Bluemel, alongside Radio 4 presenter Zeb Soanes for an evening of festive readings and fun to raise money for cancer support Macmillian.
When: 3 December, from 6.30pm.
Where: Grosvenor Chapel, 24 S Audley St, Mayfair, London W1K 2PA.
How much: from £10.
Images: Getty / Courtesy of events
Sign up for our edit of what to buy, see, read and do.
By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy
Thank you!
You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.