Hope and Homes for Children Patron and former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lord Ashdown GCMG KBE PC, will be introducing a concert inspired by tolerance and forgiveness in the wake of the Balkan Conflict.

Hope and Homes for Children South Wiltshire Support Group member, Sarah Ackroyd, along with the Sarum Orchestra, have organised for the large scale choral work to be performed at Salisbury Cathedral on 11 October. The concert forms part of the Cathedral’s year of events to celebrate its 750th Anniversary and we are delighted to be involved.

Stari Most (meaning old bridge) is a contemporary oratorio composed by Richard Chew that takes its inspiration from the eponymous bridge in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Stari Most was destroyed in 1993 during the Balkan conflict and rebuilt in 2004. The bridge now stands as a symbol of reconciliation, which has particular poignancy for Hope and Homes for Children as it was in Bosnia and Herzegovina that we began our work.

Hope and Homes for Children Founder President, Mark Cook, said, “There could not be a more iconic symbol for the work of Hope and Homes for Children than the Stari Most, which was the visible link between the Muslim and Catholic Croatian people. Few will forget the pictures of the bridge being destroyed as the centuries old stone fell into the river far below. I was there at the time as Commander of the British Contingent of the UN, and as a result of our experience my wife Caroline and I started Hope and Homes for Children to help the children whose lives had been torn apart in the conflict.”

The evening will begin with the Islamic Call to Prayer chanted by Izudin Mezit, the Muezzin from the Central Mosque of Mostar. Following this there will be a performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto before Stari Most commences. The Salisbury Cathedral Junior Choir and the Choir of Amery Hill School will be singing and during the concert footage of divers jumping off the bridge will be shown.

Tickets range from £10 to £25 and are available from the Salisbury Arts Centre by calling 01722 321744. Hope and Homes for Children will benefit from a retiring collection.

Find out more about events supporting our work.

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