VICTORIA Wood is coming to York to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Jessie's Fund, the city's music therapy charity for children with special needs.

The comedienne and writer, who is patron of the fund, will host a festival of music to mark a decade of charity work.

The York-based fund, which helps seriously ill children through the therapeutic use of music, was set up in memory of Jessica George, who died of a brain tumour ten years ago.

Victoria Wood became patron of Jessie's Fund after her childhood friend - and Jessica's mother - Lesley Schatzberger wrote to her explaining about the charity's work.

Victoria said: "I was so full of admiration for the way that Lesley had turned a personal tragedy into such a force for good, so I said, yes, I'll be a partron, I was glad to be."

Jessie's Fund has so far introduced music therapy into 22 children's hospices, and also supports creative music-making in hospitals, child development centres and schools all over the country.

Lesley, who set up the charity a decade ago, said: "We're proud of the work we have done in our first ten years, but there are so many more children who need our support.

"Many of the children we work for are not able to speak, so music is often the only way they can express themselves.

"And it's really wonderful that Victoria is helping us both to celebrate our success and to launch us into our second decade."

The anniversary weekend will begin on Friday, October 22, at 8pm in the National Centre for Early Music, in Walmgate, York, with performances of Schubert and Mozart by the Fitzwilliam String Quartet. Tickets are available from the box office on 01904 658338.

Recitals, lectures and workshops will continue over the weekend, with Victoria Wood introducing music created by and for children at the Grand Opera House on Saturday night.

Tickets start at £12, and are available by phoning 0870 6063595.

Details of all the events taking place over the weekend are available by phoning Jessie's Fund on 01904 658189, or from the charity's website at www.jessiesfund.org.uk.

Updated: 10:11 Friday, October 15, 2004