Sussex-based diva Dame Felicity Lott steps off the stages of the world's opera houses to help raise money for sick children.

She will play a fund-raiser on behalf of the Sussex Opera and Ballet Society to raise money for the Sick Children's Trust.

She said: "It is a national charity which helps provide homes from home for parents and siblings whenever a child has to go into hospital.

"It is a way of making sure someone the child knows is on hand if they get frightened or are undergoing complicated treatment."

Known as Flott by all her friends and fans, Dame Felicity is no stranger to charity.

Last year she helped raise money for the Old Market in Hove and is already making plans for another charity gig in Brighton later this year.

She said: "I try to do something whenever I can. I am in a fortunate position and believe I should help peple who may be less fortunate than myself.

"At Eastbourne I am going to include a little Mozart, some English songs and some children's songs wirtten by Francois Poulenc."

Flott is best known for her portrayal of the Marschalin in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, a part she has sung round the world to tremendous acclaim.

She said: "It really does seem to be my opera. It even goes down well in Austria, where Strauss was born."

Flott has just come back from Germany and is returning there in a few days' time for more Rosenkavalier performances and a concert with her friend and fellow soprano Ann Murray.

She will be back in the UK in August for a concert in the NNC Proms series. On August 10 she will be performing Poulenc's La Voix Humaine, a 50-minute vocal piece in which we eavesdrop on a woman's side of a phone conversation with her lover.

Tickets: Eastbourne 01323 412000. The Proms 0207 589 8212.