★★★★

The Choir with No Name runs choirs for people who have experienced homelessness. The organisation believes that singing together can lift people facing challenges such as mental health problems, relationship breakdown and drug and alcohol addiction.

Once a week, the choirs meet to sing uplifting pop tunes and enjoy a healthy hot dinner at the end of rehearsal, offering support and community to some of the capital’s most vulnerable people. Last night the two North and South London choirs took a coach to Brighton to perform their Big Christmas Singalong.

Over 60 performers belted out a selection of Christmas pop classics ranging Shakin' Stevens Merry Christmas Everyone, Fairytale of New York and some more unusual picks like Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s The Power of Love and Eurythymics There Must Be An Angel.

This wasn’t a slick operation but the joy of singing and performing together made for a celebratory evening with the Brighton audience embracing the singers immediately and joining in with glee.

OK, so some of the singers wouldn’t make it past Gareth Malone but who cares, simply knowing these performers have made it onto the stage brought a lump to the throat. But they didn’t receive a standing ovation from sympathy - rather because they provided a fun, well-directed performance packed full of Christmas spirit.