On Thursday 1 December, Place2Be celebrated the thirteenth year of our annual Carol Concert.

This year, we proudly raised a record-breaking £85,000, which will help us fund further mental health support for children and young people, and schools across the UK.  

Hosted by BBC broadcaster, journalist and Place2Be Ambassador, Katie Thistleton, the magical evening returned to the beautiful Holy Trinity Church in Sloane Square, London. The event was also live streamed, where viewers enjoyed the festive fun from the comfort of their home. 

Upon arrival, guests were greeted by the sounds of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’, sang by the wonderful Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Choir, soloist Angelo Aninag, and Holy Trinity’s Church Choir.  

BRIT-nominated soprano, Laura Wright dazzled guests with her beautiful renditions ‘Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight’ and ‘We Three Kings’. She also joined the Sacred Heart Primary School choir for a performance of Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Underneath the Tree’, leaving the audience clapping for more. 

To spread the Christmas cheer, readings of classic Christmas tales were told by our star-studded celebrity guests:  

• ‘The Little Prince’ - Sophie Dahl, children’s author and Place2Be ambassador 
• ‘Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem’ - Jacob Anderson, actor and musician 
• ‘The Velveteen Rabbit – What is real?’ - Paloma Faith, double platinum and Brit award-winning singer. 

Ivor Novello award winning musician, Jamie Cullum took to the piano to perform his very own number ‘Hang Your Lights’, as well as an impressive medley of Christmas classics including ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘Winter Wonderland’.  

Attendees heard first-hand the difference Place2Be makes in schools, when Tommy Ittu, Head-Teacher at Ark Elvin Academy, took to the lectern to share his school's inspiring experiences of Place2Be. Ark Elvin Academy has been a Place2Be partner school for almost 5-years. 

Closing the evening, Place2Be Ambassador, Rhys Stephenson, presented a lovely video, where children from St Margaret’s CoE Primary told festive jokes. Earlier this year, Rhys paid a special visit to the school in Manchester, where he was able to spend time with the pupils, and witness how Place2Be service operates within the school. 

Despite the brilliant performances, the superstars of the evening were the Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Choir. Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School are one of the many schools that Place2Be works in, and we were delighted that they were able to join us and grace the audience with such beautiful performances. We’d like to give huge thanks to their music teacher Miss Palmer.   

The evening would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our Carol Concert Committee, led by Karen and Andrew Howes. We are thrilled to have such a committed group working with us to make our evening so successful.  

We’d like to extend a massive thank you to our wonderful supporters for making the Carol Concert possible: 

• Cadogan Estates 
• Marshall Wace 
• Verve Concepts 
• Galliard 
• Astrea Asset Management
• The Knightsbridge Estate
• Devlin McGregor. 

Keep an eye out for our next Carol Concert 2023 announcement.  

Register your interest for 2023