On one of the coldest nights of the year, crowds packed out St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle to welcome back this festive tradition for the first time since the pandemic.
And that welcome, which went both ways, could not have been warmer. The gathered audience, trussed up in heavy coats and hats, were clearly delighted to be there on a frosty Thursday night and the mood was matched by the line-up on stage which - as always with this fundraiser in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation - also had been kept under wraps.
Setting the tone from the off were the teenage talents of the Swing Bridge Singers who, along with a band, were on stage throughout, book-ending the night with Christmas carols and punctuating the upcoming songs and comedy sketches performed by local stars.
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And this year's line-up included Jill Halfpenny, in cracking voice singing Merry Christmas Darling; fellow actress Charlie Hardwick reading a football-inspired piece - female players this time getting a look-in - by stand-up poet Scott Tyrrell and Sunderland favourites The Futureheads adding their own nostalgic Christmas song to the medley.
But the first surprise of the night was the senior canon of the cathedral Clare MacLaren following up a prayer by singing Santa Baby, showing off impressive performance skills, and so the upbeat mood continued, with local actor Jamie Brown making us laugh with his heartwarming song Seasons of Plenty - referencing Christmases past when everyone knew the tangerine in Santa's stocking had just come from the fruit bowl - and actress and singer Catherine Dryden moving everyone with her rendition of Waters of Tyne, her pure, unaccompanied vocals ebbing and flowing like the river itself.
Other highlights were Lorraine Crosby - best known perhaps for her Anything For Love duet with Meat Loaf in 1993 - with two spine-tingling performances including the carol Silent Night which filled the cathedral; and a Christmas story told in a myriad of voices, from Donald Trump to Gordon Ramsay, by impressionist and comedian Cal Halbert, the man who linked it all together as show host on what he tells us was a night off from appearing in panto in Stanley.
The cathedral itself added hugely to the sense of occasion. It looked beautiful, even more so with its grand Christmas tree and the show's lighting effects. And it lends grandeur and gravitas to what is, after all, a night with a serious message.
And we don't forget why we're there, the two giant screens at each side of the aisle cutting from scenes of the performances to bring us stories of those - young and old - who are living with cancer, reminding us of the vital work of the foundation founded by Sir Bobby. His widow, Lady Elsie Robson, is a regular at the Newcastle concert which here was celebrating its 10-year anniversary.
Over that time the event, which is directed by Jonathan Wallis and produced by Ray Laidlaw, who was kept extra busy on the night as part of the band, has become a well-loved tradition for countless others and it it has featured a huge range of local celebrities - this year's had two late stand-ins we're told, including Billy Mitchell's son Tom - but it's the Geordie heart and soul of the show that makes it.
It was a cosy, friendly, happy and thoroughly festive evening (despite the chilly weather). The Swing Bridge Singers conductor Andrew Scott had us all joining in the annual Twelve Days of Christmas singalong and the night ended with We Wish You A Merry Christmas from the choir to send us on our way.
For more about the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation see here.
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