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My name is Rhys, a first time dad blogging about my adventures and experiences of being a parent. [email protected]

Top orchestra hits the right note for child safety charity

A celebrated North Wales orchestra will be the headline performers at a special  concert to raise money for a trailblazing child safety charity. 

NEW Sinfonia will be starring at St Asaph Cathedral on December 5 to support the  work of the DangerPoint centre in Talacre with young people across the region North Wales.

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A quartet from the NEW Sinfonia, which was set up by Wrexham brothers Robert and Jonathan Guy to showcase young classical musical talent in the region, will be joined by two school choirs from Ysgol Bryn Garth in Holywell and and Ysgol Y Llys in Prestatyn  to complete this year’s festive concert line-up.

DangerPoint runs an interactive centre for schools and youth groups where young people can work through real-life scenarios to understand risk and learn how to keep themselves safe.

The charity also runs a pioneering internet safety programme, which uses a real-time avatar characters to educate youngsters, particularly primary school children, on how to keep safe online.

With the Christmas concert on December 5 their biggest annual fundraiser, DangerPoint deputy manager Cat Harvey-Aldcroft said she hopes it will enable even more young people to access the programme.

“It is absolutely imperative we educate younger children about internet safety as, whether we like it or not, their lives in the future will be online. We are the only safety centre in the region to use the avatar programme and we’d like even more young people to take part.

“All the money we raise at this year’s DangerPoint Christmas concert will help to keep us at the forefront of safety education for all our young people.”

NEW Sinfonia’s artistic director and joint founder Robert Guy was delighted to be able to work with DangerPoint.

He said:

“Supporting DangerPoint and the work they do is also so relevant right now and it’s nice as musicians to be able to use something you love to not only bring attention to the charity, but to help fundraise and be part of something so positive.”

Set up back in 2005, DangerPoint has worked with over 86,000 people from the age of five, with around 7,000 young people taking advantage of their services each year.

Based on the Granary Court Business Park in Station Road, Talacre, the centre is designed like a film set, where visitors can travel from home, to the beach, countryside, playground and a host of other settings to explore dangerous scenarios, including cyberbullying and keeping safe online.

Cat Harvey-Aldcroft, who is also organising the charity’s Christmas Concert, said:

“They are such a highly regarded orchestra and wonderful to work with. Along with the two school choirs, this year’s Christmas concert in the beautiful St Asaph Cathedral promises to be quite a show! It will be a fantastic start to the festive season.”

Putting the finishing touches to the NEW Sinfonia quartet’s programme for the concert, Robert Guy said it promised to be a Christmas crowd-pleaser.

“We’re still working on the final details, but it will have elements of a traditional Christmas songs set, with more upbeat Jazz-style numbers as well as numbers where everyone can get involved and sing along to.”

The final line-up for the NEW Sinfonia quartet will include Robert on viola and his brother Jonathan on clarinet.

“The evening will certainly put everyone in the festive mood and on track for Christmas as well as supporting a truly wonderful charity that does so much to help keep our young people safe all year round,” he added.