ON Saturday, February 15 Holy Cross Church in Crediton welcomed a huge audience which had come from far and wide to enjoy a performance of Bach’s St John Passion.

People came dressed warmly, some even carried blankets! The church was in use all day for rehearsals with the soloists as well the choir and the orchestra.

All musicians, including soloists Erik Janse (evangelist and tenor arias), Nial Anderson (Christus), Philip Lancaster (Pilate), Alice Beverly (soprano) and Carolyn Harries (alto), donated their time and talents freely. Crediton’s very own Tina Guthrie conducted with joy, skill and inspiration.

Huge thanks to all who helped in some way: providing and serving refreshments for the musicians, selling tickets on the door, designing the poster and putting together the programme booklet.

We are grateful to the church PCC and the social committee for their hospitality. Special thanks should go to the Crediton Arts Centre, which opened its doors to all musicians before and after the performance.

We are hugely indebted to Rosemary Stephenson, who managed most of the practicalities before and on the day. Thanks also to solicitors’ firm Gilbert Stephens, who contributed towards the expenses.

The proceeds (i.e. tickets as well as a retiring collection) came to just over £4,200 for Second Sight.

This will fund 210 sight-restoring operations in Bihar, a poor and forgotten part of India.

Interestingly, that means that for each person in the audience one Bihari blind patient will get his/ her sight back.

If the patients were able to teleport to Crediton, they would say: “Shukria!”.

Second Sight is a sight charity founded by ophthalmologist Lucy Mathen, a former TV journalist.

You can find out more information about Second Sight by visiting its website: secondsight.org.uk.

Francisca Van Holthoon