Latest News
WFCS MESSIAH BENEFIT CONCERT RAISES £3k FOR TWO COUNTY CHILDREN’S CAUSES
16th April, 2026
Click an image to enlarge
The inaugural Worcester Festival Choral Society (WFCS) Messiah Benefit Concert, held at Worcester Cathedral last December, has raised £3,049 that has been granted to two local children’s causes.
The fund-raising concert, which is set to continue annually, was inspired by the remarkable philanthropic story of Handel’s renowned choral work ‘Messiah’, and aims to create a new local tradition of charitable giving in Worcestershire.
Susan White, Chairman of Worcester Festival Choral Society explained: “When composer Handel premiered his Messiah oratorio in 1742, it was in support of charitable causes. That concert inspired a chain of philanthropy through music that led to the foundation of the world’s first purpose-built maternity hospital, the Rotunda in Dublin, and to the development of the Foundling Hospital in London which provided centuries of care for children and young people. Inspired by that legacy, we at Worcester Festival Choral Society are now harnessing our annual Messiah concert, to raise money to support the education, health and well-being of young people here in our county.”
Working in partnership with local grant-making charity the Worcestershire Community Foundation (WCF), Worcester Festival Choral Society’s Messiah performance last December attracted more than £3,000 of voluntary donations from the public, concertgoers and local businesses – including a special ‘Gold Patrons’ scheme supported by Bygones of Worcester, Nic Sproson the Optician, Madresfield Butchers and Grill, and the Bransford Trust CIO.
As a result, the Worcestershire Community Foundation has been able to establish a new WFCS Messiah Endowment Fund that will grow with every future performance and is open to grant applications from local young people’s causes.
Chair of the Worcestershire Community Foundation, Jonathan Chenevix-Trench, confirmed: “We are thrilled to be Worcester Festival Choral Society’s charitable partner for this long-term initiative, and thank everyone who donated so generously at the recent concert. The new Messiah Endowment Fund promises to make a real difference to children’s causes across our county.”
Charities announced
The recipients of a share of this year’s Messiah Endowment Fund have now been announced as:
• Becoming Families, to develop and run an Early Pregnancy Workshop that will provide vital support to families before intervention by maternity services
• The Museum of Royal Worcester, to support a new educational development with schools and Early Years (under 5s).
Becoming Families is Worcestershire's only local charity nurturing and supporting families from pregnancy through to 2 years old – the crucial first 1,001 days. Each year, the organisation supports around 400 families across Worcestershire. Jo Lederer, Co-Founder, Service Lead, Perinatal Practitioner said: “We are delighted to receive this award, which will be spent on developing and delivering Early Pregnancy Workshops. Early pregnancy is often a time of anxiety when parents have many questions but are not yet being seen regularly by a midwife.”
The Museum of Royal Worcester celebrates Worcester porcelain’s world-class art and design, and runs a public and outreach programme that inspires creativity, community connections and wellbeing. Kate Travers, Director at the Museum of Royal Worcester, said: “We are truly delighted to receive the award from the Messiah Fund. This will go towards our creative outreach programme with early years and schools in deprived areas, supporting our communities to connect, create and thrive, through clay and heritage.”
Handel’s Messiah is one of the world’s most popular choral works, packed with well-known choruses and arias. When King George II attended its premiere in 1742, he is said to have been so moved by the mighty ‘Hallelujah’ chorus that he rose to his feet – a tradition that audiences continue today.
Worcester Festival Choral Society is the region’s leading, large classical choir. The Society was founded in 1861 and counts Sir Edward Elgar amongst its past conductors. Today it performs three, major concerts at the cathedral every year and holds a popular ‘Come & Sing’ day each spring. Its annual performance of Handel’s Messiah has been a popular fixture of the city’s pre-Christmas celebrations for several decades, typically featuring around 150 performers and attracting more than 600 music lovers.
The Worcestershire Community Foundation is a grant-making charity that supports the county by championing smaller community groups and connecting donors of all kinds with vital local causes. In 2023-24 it distributed over £600k of funding, supporting 93 county projects. The Lord-Lieutenant of Worcestershire, Beatrice Grant, is President of the Foundation.
Worcester Festival Choral Society’s next performance of Handel’s Messiah takes place at Worcester Cathedral on Saturday 12 December, 7.30pm.
Find out more about Worcester Festival Choral Society and the 2026 Messiah Benefit Concert at www.wfcs.online. For more about Worcestershire Community Foundation and the WFCS Messiah Endowment Fund visit www.worcscf.org.uk and https://www.worcscf.org.uk/appeals/messiah-fund/.
Businesses interested in becoming Messiah 2026 Gold Patrons are invited to contact Anne Renshaw at development@wfcs.online or Lucy Wells at lucy.wells@worcscf.org.uk.
Public donations to the WFCS Messiah Endowment Fund are welcomed any time at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/wcf-wcfsmessiah.
Next Concert
2026-27 CONCERT SEASON
Worcester Festival Choral Society is thrilled to announce its three, exciting concerts for the 2026-27 season.
All performed in magnificent Worcester Cathedral, starting from 7.30pm.
Join us to hear 140 choral voices, stellar soloists and the superb Meridian Sinfonia perform an unmissable programme of magical choral and orchestral music!
Saturday 21 November 2026:
Vaughan Williams DONA NOBIS PACEM
Bernstein CHICHESTER PSALMS
Copland APPALACHIAN ... read more
.jpg)
