Rock Choir takes centre stage alongside West End star Kerry Ellis to raise cash for the Brighter Futures appeal next week.

The choir will be raising the roof of the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon on Sunday, July 22 at a sell out concert lead by music graduate and former BBC journalist Kate Benson.

The choir hope to raise in excess of £10,000 on the evening.

Kate said: “We’re hoping all the people who have made a difference to this campaign enjoy this feel-good celebration. We wanted to create something where we can make a big difference and a lasting difference to this appeal.”

The choir leader has a special reason for choosing Brighter Futures to benefit from the concert as she lost her mum seven years ago, following a battle with breast cancer and leukaemia.

Kate said: "When I came to Swindon and one of my Rock Choir members told me about the appeal I was absolutely horrified that a radiotherapy centre didn’t exist here.”

The singer established the Swindon and Wiltshire branch of UK-wide Rock Choir two-and-a-half years ago and now has 300 members across three choirs countywide.

Special guest on the night will be Kerry Ellis who says she has become close to Kate and really likes the ethos of singing for the joy of it that is at the core of Rock Choir.

“I love working with them, they are close to me and they love to sing,’’ said Kerry, who adds she is really looking forward to coming to Swindon.

The singer has a string of musical theatre credits both in the West End and on Broadway including Les Miserables, Oliver, Cats, Miss Saigon, Chess, RENT and Wicked, earning her the nickname of the First Lady Of West End Musicals. She is also known for her collaborations with her good friend Brian May from Queen.

The musicians met when Kerry was in Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of My Fair Lady. She began as the second of two understudies to Martine McCutcheon, in the role of Eliza Doolittle, but soon found herself centre stage and Brian May was in the audience.

“He was casting for We Will Rock You at the time and saw me and asked me to audition,’’ said Kerry. “It was after I had appeared on his show that we got together to create the studio album, tour and become a duo, or an act whatever,’’ said Kerry.

Rock Choir LIVE! Sing for Swindon also features Laurence Jones who was voted Young Artist of the Year in 2014, 2015, 2016 at the British Blues Awards.

For more information and how to join the choir visit www.Rockchoir.com - Flicky Harrison