More than 500 people gathered at the Amphitheatre behind the Carvoeiro Chapel “Nossa Senhora de Encarnação” for an hour of community singing interspersed with special guests.

This is always a family-friendly Fund raiser for the Portimão Girls’ home Casa de Nossa Senhora de Conceição (CNSC) and we had a group of their girls entertaining us with “Natal Africano”. This year we raised the amazing sum of €1,700 euros in 90 minutes!

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We also had a duet from acclaimed European musical artiste Carmen Danen and Angela Theobold, performing “O Holy Night”. The choir from The Algarveans Theatre group sang “Mary did you know?”. And the inimitable Tim Stevens led the crowd in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with the children at the centre singing “Five Golden Rings”. Who could ever forget that!

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Supporting us all was Anne Stevens on the keyboard, keeping us all in tune and on track! We are always very grateful for her generous contribution of talent and time!

The weather was kind and we had plenty of warm drinks and snacks at the ready. A huge thank you to the team manning the refreshments tent - mostly from The Algarveans Theatre group.

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Thanks are especially in order for all of YOU who participated with such gusto! You came, you sang, you laughed, you gave generously! Huge blessings to you in the New Year! And see you next year!

by Madeleine Wheare