Chester's Male Voice Choir gathered to raise funds to provide humanitarian aid to the victims of the war in Ukraine.

Members of the choir gathered on Town Hall Square in Chester city centre, raising an impressive £1000 for the British Red Cross Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal.

Blair Wilson, Chairman of Chester Male Voice Choir, said: "We were deeply concerned about the events taking place in Ukraine and wanted to do something to support the victims of this crisis.

"We decided to do what comes naturally to the choir and took to the streets of Chester to sing to residents and also visitors to the City. We sang on the Town Hall Square one Saturday morning and were absolutely delighted when an audience gathered to listen.

"The audience grew throughout the morning and the event was a huge success. Collection buckets were placed out for the collection and a Ukrainian Flag was flown by the Choir to show support for the country and the victims of the conflict.

"We were delighted to collect £830 on the day and with extra donations, we were able to send £1000 to the DEC appeal. We would like to thank everyone for their generosity, we were overwhelmed by the amount of money collected in a short space of time and also the kind comments and support from all those who came to listen to us on the day."

Now into its 80th year, the choir is preparing for the staging of its next event. An anniversary concert will take place at Chester Cathedral on Saturday 16 July at 7.30pm where the choir will be joined by special guests, the world renowned Foden's Band.

Tickets are now on sale for the celebratory concert via www.chestercathedral.com.

Alternatively, contact the Cathedral box office on 01244 500959. Tickets can also be booked in person.

Full details of Chester Male Voice Choir and how to get involved can be found at www.chestermalevoice.com