AFTER Royal visits and the Millennium Mystery Play, you would think York Minster had seen enough excitement for one year.

But fundraisers at St Leonard's Hospice are looking to fill the great cathedral with sound, and with singers and their audience, at a special Millennium event.

The "Come and Sing Messiah" performance for our Hospice 2000 Appeal will take place on Saturday, October 14.

Soprano Lynne Dawson, who sang at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, and lives near York, is one of the soloists for the event, which is part of the world-wide BT Voices for Hospices exercise.

More than 525 performances - 250 in the UK alone - will take place simultaneously in over 40 countries around the world, uniting millions of people in raising vital funds and awareness of the work of the Hospice Movement.

Tickets for the Minster event, which include a special commemorative programme, are £7.50 (concessions £5) for both singers and audience. Proceeds will go towards the £2 million appeal to redevelop the hospice and extend its services to care for more local people.

For more information send a stamped-addressed envelope to BT Voices for Hospices, St Leonard's Hospice Fundraising Centre, 14 York Road, Acomb, York, YO24 4LU.

The hospice welcomes foreign currency and coins of all types - most of it comes from supporters donating change after holidays abroad, and all the cash coming in now goes to our Hospice 2000 Appeal.

The foreign coins are sorted by hospice volunteer Brian Rey, who also deals with obsolete UK coins and stamps of all kinds.

Anyone with spare coins or foreign stamps can take them to reception at St Leonard's Hospice in Tadcaster Road, between 9am and 5pm or to hospice shops or the fundraising centre in Acomb.

andrew.hitchon@ycp.co.uk