A NEW initiative, Singing for Syrians, is urging communities in Britain to organise fund-raising carol concerts for refugees in the Middle East.

Singing for Syrians is being promoted by Christian Aid and the Hands Up Foundation to support refugee camps in the region. Concert organisers will be invited to a carol concert in St Margaret’s, beside Westminster Abbey, on 15 December, and to a private reception at Speaker’s House.

The initiative has been organised by a trustee of the Hands Up Foundation, the artist George Butler, and the Conservative MP for North Oxfordshire, Victoria Prentis, and is championed by Basil Eastwood, a former British ambassador to Syria.

“Before I was elected,” Mrs Prentis said, “I found that carol concerts were a great way to raise money while having a good sing. It therefore seemed obvious to me that concerts would be a good way to raise money for the most desperate people who remain in Syria.

“Whether they pass around a bucket at a planned carol concert or come to the St Margaret’s concert on 15 December, I really hope people will get behind this initiative.”