THE Madding Crowd, the musical group who keep alive traditional 18th and 19th century music, will be performing in Winchester next week.

Carols, hymns, popular songs and dances will be performed with readings from the period to evoke Christmas in the times of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy.

The choir hopes St Lawrence church in The Square will be full on Friday December 13 at 7.30pm.

Entry is free and there will be a retiring collection. A sponsor has paid for church hire so all proceeds will go to the Winchester Basics Bank and the Boaz Project.

For more information visit www.maddingcrowd.org, ring 01962 713392 or email mike@maddingcrowd.org