THE cross of St George will fly at a concert marking the patron saint's day and raising money for Cancer Research.

Malvern Male Voice Choir and sopranos Sonna Cadman and Emma Burrows will perform at the St George's Day event in Christ Church hall, Avenue Road, on Saturday, April 23, at 7.15pm.

Cancer Research UK's Malvern Local Committee has organised the evening.

Committee member Ray Worth said: "Other nations recognise a patron saint's day but we don't."

St George's Day is also Shakes-peare's birthday and the day of his death.

Not everything on the programme will be connected with England and St George but the audience will be invited to join in a Last Night of the Proms-style singalong to traditional British songs such as Rule Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory, Jerusalem and On Ilkley Moor Baht'At.

Pieces the choir will perform include Moon River, African Spirituals and Phil Collins' Groovy Kind of Love. Conductor Charles Pavey will play piano music by Gershwin.

Soprano Emma Burrows is the daughter of Gordon Burrows, the choir's secretary.

Her performance will feature the Queen of the Night Aria from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, and I Sit in the Sun from Salad Days.

Stars and Moon is among the songs for Sonna Cadman, who performed at a St David's Day concert at Holy Trinity Church in March.

Church Street company West-bridge Foods has sponsored the event to help Cancer Research UK.

Last year the charity's local committee raised more than £27,000 to help research all aspects of a disease that will affect one in three people at some point in their lives.

Tickets, priced £3 including refreshments, are available from Tony Baker on 01684 577617.