Royal thank-you carol service 'a whole other level'

A carol service to say thank you to charities and community groups has been made "very, very special" by having royal backing.

The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales supported 15 community carol services, which have been taking place across the country.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral hosted Suffolk Together at Christmas on Wednesday evening, the only event in the Eastern region.

Linda McEnhill, chief executive of St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds, said: "This is a really good opportunity to celebrate what we've been doing and to really remember the people that we're here to serve."

The Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare, Countess of Euston, said royal patronage "does makes a huge difference, because it made it then possible for us to invite just about everybody we wanted to come.

"I think we've found representatives from all the different main charity groups, so we can thank them for what they do all year."

The Very Reverend Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury, said: "We are also concentrating on what unites us in a society, where we talk too much about what divides us as a rhetoric of division.

"This is about uniting around a story, the story of the birth of a child, and around people who are of goodwill and who care - and that's why it's brilliant to be able to do this."

The service included traditional carols, messages read by local school children about the impact different charities make, along with performances from the Lowestoft Longshoremen shanty singers - and the Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir, based in London.

There was also a letter from Catherine, Princess of Wales on each seat, and a blank gift tag for messages to be written back.

A new piece of music was also commissioned specially for the evening.

Local composer Sarah Cattley wrote Lullay Myn Lyking, based on a manuscript believed to have been compiled by scribes at the Abbey of St Edmund in the 15th Century.

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