Renowned London choir, Crouch End Festival Chorus, chose Beat SCAD for its Christmas charity and raised £2,161.83.
On Saturday 21 December Beat SCAD Trustee, Sarah Coombes, spent the afternoon and evening attending two wonderful Christmas concerts by the renowned Crouch End Festival Chorus (CEFC) under its conductor David Temple MBE.
Two members of the choir are Margaret, Sarah’s GP from when she had her SCAD, 10 years ago now, and Genevieve, a choir member who has had two SCADs in the past two years.
“Every year the singers of Crouch End Festival Chorus vote to decide which charity to support at its popular Christmas concerts” said a CEFC spokesperson “We were delighted that Beat SCAD, a cause very close to us, was chosen and even more pleased that, this year, the largest ever sum was raised by our enthusiastic and generous audience.”
Sarah said, “The concerts were so joyful and uplifting – a beautiful venue in North London, a stunningly talented choir and a wonderful mix of music and carols, with opportunities for the audience to sing along too.”
Towards the end of each concert, Sarah (pictured) had the chance to say a few words and raise awareness of SCAD. She spoke about how her SCAD came completely out of the blue ten years ago as she drove her six-year-old son to a birthday party. She explained who is impacted by SCAD and how there is a real need to raise awareness of the condition among healthcare professionals to ensure that patients get promptly diagnosed and the correctly treated. She also talked about the vital need for research and Beat SCAD’s funding of a three-year Clinical Research Fellow placement.
There were almost 1,000 attendees at the two concerts. During the final carol there was a collection for Beat SCAD and we also used a card reader at the venue exit, which was very popular.
An incredible £2,161.83 was raised.
Beat SCAD Chair, Rebecca Breslin, said, “I would like to thank Crouch End Festival Chorus wholeheartedly. We are run by patient volunteers in their spare time and funded entirely by donations, so an event like this is extremely important to Beat SCAD as we strive to fulfil our mission: a world that understands Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, where those affected are quickly and accurately diagnosed and never feel alone.”
CEFC is one of Britain’s leading symphonic choirs with a reputation nationally and internationally for its eclectic repertoire, innovation and versatility in both the concert hall and recording studio. Dates for their future events can be found here.
