Five local male choirs came together in York to practise raising the roof for charity.

A rehearsal took place in the city's Central Methodist Church for the choral groups - York Philharmonic, York Railway, Harrogate, East Witton and the Dalesmen Singers of Whitby.

They were preparing for the Yorkshire Festival of Music 2000 in the Sheffield Arena on Saturday, November 25, which will feature almost 2,000 male and female voices, all raising cash for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

The charity has organised the festival for the last 20 years, helping to fund research at Yorkshire's five universities into the cause and cure of cancer.

The event has previously been staged at the Royal Albert Hall, but the demand for tickets has gown and this year it is coming home to Yorkshire's biggest indoor live music venue.

Meanwhile, York's contribution to the world's biggest choral event has raised more than £6,000 for our Hospice 2000 Appeal.

More than 1,000 singers, audience and musicians filled York Minster for the Come And Sing The Messiah performance, part of the global BT Voices for Hospices event on Saturday night.

The York event attracted a 356-strong choir, who had just one rehearsal in the morning, and an audience of 650 people who came to listen to them, to the orchestra, and to the world-renowned soloists who performed without a fee.

The event aimed to raise awareness of the Hospice Movement - and to raise funds for local hospices.

Janet Morley, fundraising manager of York's St Leonard's Hospice, who with Anne Ellison organised the event for the fourth time, said: "It was a wonderful and inspiring evening and we are thrilled that so many people, including the Archbishop of York, our president, came to share the occasion with us."