A THURROCK church and the hospice that serves the borough will benefit from an event organised by a long-serving community volunteer later this month.

St Luke's Hospice volunteer Mike Rawlinson has arranged a carol concert on Friday, 17 December at 7pm, in aid of St Luke's and the parish funds of the Church of Our Lady & St Joseph in Stanford-le-Hope, where the event will be held.

Mike has been involved with the hospice and has volunteered for more than 30 years, starting with initial fundraising support to the Hospice co-founder, Trudy Westmore-Cox.

Mike supports the Hospice in a variety of roles including driving patients to and from appointments, catering support in the In-Patient Unit and is also choirmaster for St Luke's Hospice Singers.

He says: "I am dedicated to volunteering with St Luke's Hospice as I am inspired on a daily basis by the professional care and support the Hospice team provides to so many people in our community."

Hospice CEO Eileen Marshall says: "Mike is such a valued volunteer at the hospice and provides wonderful support to the team and our patients. We are very grateful to Mike for arranging the carol concert to raise funds for St Luke's Hospice and wish him every success with his event".

The St Luke's Hospice Singers will lead the entertainment on the evening, with carols and festive favourites, as well as providing an opportunity for the whole family to sing-a-long and get into the festive spirit.

Tickets are available by contacting Mike directly on 01375 678 618 or by email on [email protected]. Tickets cost £6 each per adult, £3 for children aged 12 to 16 and are free of charge for children under the age of 12.