MALVERN Festival Chorus has just handed over a cheque for more than £900 to the town's Citizens Advice Bureau.

The money, raised mainly at the choir's Christmas carol concert at Great Malvern Priory, was handed over at the bureau's new office next to the GP surgeries in Prospect View, off Pickersleigh Road.

Each year, Malvern Festival Chorus nominates a local charity for which to raise funds and this year they selected Citizens Advice South Worcestershire which covers the Malvern and Wychavon area.

Citizens Advice South Worcestershire Chief Officer Karen Edwards said: “We are thrilled to have received this generous donation, particularly having just moved into new premises.

"Many people are not aware that each Citizens Advice Bureau is an independently-funded charity, so donations like this provide essential funds to enable us to continue and to improve the services we offer to our local community.

"Already our new location has clearly made us more accessible to clients, so we are extremely grateful for this donation.”

Choir chairman Kevin Ilsley said: “We recognised Citizens Advice as a charity which could potentially touch the lives of all our members and our audiences through the advice and support it provides on such a wide variety of subjects. It is a valuable resource for the whole community and we are delighted to have had the opportunity of making a contribution to its ongoing work.”