A HOST of celebrities have once again pledged their support to an annual Christmas event which has raised almost £300,000 for cancer victims.

Over the past 14 years, the Celebration of Christmas concert has raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The concert, which will be held on Friday, December 10, at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, features celebrities who read poems, prose and sing festive carols to mark the occasion.

The festive celebration will once again welcome back Emmerdale star Freddie Jones, who used to live in Charlbury and has read at every Celebration of Christmas event.

Also reading at this year’s event will be former Oxford University student Jeany Spark, who has starred in Lewis and Wallander, and BBC Radio Four newsreader Charlotte Green.

Ms Spark, who studied English at Lady Margaret Hall, said: “Just this year, both of my parents have battled their way through cancer.

“Thankfully they are now both in remission, but I can say that those bewildering months when one’s world becomes microcosmic – the hospital, the medication, the doctors, the tablets and the worry and pain – were some of the darkest and hardest we as a family have ever undergone.

“Macmillan is a charity that can really make a difference to the everyday lives of those suffering from cancer and their families.

“Not in a showy, flashy way, but in the ways that matter most – holding a hand, lending an ear, fighting a corner.”

Tom Ward, who plays Harry Cunningham in the popular BBC crime drama Silent Witness, will also read at the concert.

He said: “I’m very excited to be taking part, having gone to school and university in Oxford, and now as a resident.

“Reading in such a beautiful place as Christ Church Cathedral will be a great privilege, and to be doing so in aid of an extraordinary charity like Macmillan is even better.”

  • Tickets for the event, which starts at 8pm, are still available and will be on sale on the door for £15.

For more information call 01869 322279 or email oxfordshireappeal@macmillan.org.uk