We had a great night out on Saturday, thanks to the Amaretti Chamber Orchestra, who gave a wonderful concert in support of Amnesty.

Stockport Group has excellent support in recent years from the Amaretti Chamber Orchestra, a small string orchestra established in 2004 consisting of experienced amateurs, music teachers and professional players.

The orchestra has a varied repertoire ranging from Bach to Britten and performs in the South Manchester area, with excursions to Buxton as part of the Festival Fringe.

The proceeds from each concert are given to various charities, and we're delighted that on Saturday night  the Amaretti's performance at St Andrew's Church, Cheadle Hulme raised over £1000 for Amnesty International.

The enthusiastic audience in St Andrew's Church, Cheadle Hulme, enjoyed a varied programme including music by Grieg, Mozart and a Finzi Clarinet Concerto.

Before the interval Pam Jones (Chair of Stockport Group) thanked the orchestra for their generous support and spoke about the work of Amnesty.  We had our faithful display board to hand, which featured photos of Dr Kamal al-Labwani, the Group's (now-released!) Syrian Prisoner of Conscience, and of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

We were delighted to see Cheadle MP Mark Hunter and his wife, who came to support the event.

Stockport Group provided support with advanced ticket sales, and on the night we staffed an information stall, helped with front of house and served refreshments... and of course, enjoyed the music.

Thanks to everyone at the Amaretti for a lovely evening!