Pop-up choir in Oxford raises money for Ukrainian families

David Blackwell said the choir did really well, even though they had not previously performed together

A pop-up choir has been organised to raise money for Ukrainian families.

More than 100 people from across Oxfordshire sang at St Nicholas Church in Islip on Saturday.

The money raised will go to the Islip-Ukraine Community Support fund, and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

People in Islip and nearby villages have welcomed eight refugee families into their homes, and the funds will support them and another three families whose visas are being processed.

The group of volunteer singers sang the Vivaldi Gloria, the Ukrainian national anthem and Prayer for Ukraine by Olcksandr Konysky and Mykola Lysenko.

The event included a 17-piece orchestra and two local soloists, Anne Churchill Stone and Rebecca Mitchell-Farmer.

The pop-up choir sang two Ukrainian pieces which Hannah described as from "the heart of Ukraine"

Hannah, who is from Ukraine and is hosted in Islip, told the BBC it was important to sing pieces of Ukrainian music and that the songs were from "the heart of Ukraine".

"When we come to Islip in England, we [get] a lot of help," she added. "I'm very thankful to people in Islip.

"I hope that one day I come back to a free, independent Ukraine."

There are currently eight families from Ukraine in Islip and nearby villages

David Blackwell, the organist for the church, led the choir and told the BBC that the group had never come together as a choir before.

"It's always difficult with people you don't know, but I thought they did really well," he said.

He added that he organised the event because he wanted to do something to help the families from Ukraine with the cost of things they needed.

Funds previously raised by the Islip-Ukraine Community Support provided welcome packs, educational equipment, language lessons, and a subsidised account for each family at the village shop.