An Lysardh Christmas Choir at St Mellanus Church in Mullion

With church bells being rung by the Helston and Wendron Bell Ringers, hundreds of candles were lit for this year’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols service

Under the direction of Andrew Woods and accompanied by Ann Bradbury on organ, keyboard, and flute, the choir performed an array of Christmas carols, ranging from traditional favourites to carols from Germany, Basque, Denmark, and the United States.

An Lysardh Christmas Choir (Image: Supplied)The service originated at Truro Cathedral in 1880 and has since been made famous worldwide by the choir of King’s College Chapel, Cambridgeshire.

This service marked the eighth year that An Lysardh, a choir formed by Andrew and consisting of 35 singers from the Lizard, Helston and Porthleven areas had organised this special event, each time choosing a different church being chosen each time.

It has now become part of the local Christmas tradition with people travelling a distance to attend.

Choirmaster Andrew Woods and organist Ann Bradbury (Image: Supplied)Members of the choir read the Biblical Lessons with the Rural Dean, the Reverand Heidi Huntley reading the Ninth Lesson from St John’s Gospel and also leading the prayers and giving the blessing.

As the service came to an end, mulled wine and mince pies were served to the attendees and a collection of £474 was raised in aid of church funds and the Helston and Lizard Foodbank.