More than £700 has been raised in a concert for Ukraine in Sidmouth.

The concert was held last Sunday, (April 24) to raise money to rent a house in Sidmouth for a Ukrainian family. £744 was raised in this concert alone, taking the current total up to £3,197.

Sidmouth Herald: James Mason-CarneyJames Mason-Carney (Image: Emma Solle)

Starting at 3.00pm at the Sidmouth Methodist Church, it consisted of local choirs and performers including vocalist James Mason-Carney, pianist Timotheus, bass flautist Lolly, John McGregor on organ and piano, and Daniel on guitar.

This is the second concert to be held; the first took place in March, just after the war broke out in Ukraine. Timotheus raised another £184 by busking in Sidmouth town centre between the first and second event.

More than two million refugees have now left Ukraine since the war began in March. Since then there have been fundraising events around East Devon to help the people of Ukraine.

John McGregor, curator and presenter said: "The concert was well received by a sizeable audience who particularly appreciated the additional items which were presented by vocalist James(13) bass flute player Lolly (14) and pianist Timotheus (11) whose older brother played a guitar solo.

Mukie Gosrani, organiser of the concert for Ukraine, said: "In this time of crisis, my heart sinks knowing how many families are left alone in need of hope and just a little help. Over two million refugees have now left Ukraine. They have escaped a mindless war, completely displaced, leaving everything behind in search of safety and refuge.

"My aim is to start by renting a property locally to help resettle and support a Ukrainian refugee family.

"I will personally donate £100 a month to start this journey. My hope is to continue to rent more properties to provide shelter for more families."

Donate to the Justgiving page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mukie-gosrani?utm_term=Gx953MPNY