A NEW choir made up of homeless singers will perform their first concert today at the Stokes Croft Festival.

The St Mungo's Community Choir has found its sopranos, altos, tenors and baritones among the homeless people who used the Compass Centre in Jamaica Street.

The choir's 20 members also include staff from the centre and residents from the local community.

St Mungo's Community Choir, formed last year, rehearses every Thursday, and the concert today will be their first public performance.

Choir leader and St Mungo's Bristol outreach manager Jenny Riley said: "We're very proud and excited to be singing at the festival.

"The choir has really worked hard on the songs and it has helped to boost people's self-confidence and get them involved in the local community."

One choir member, Trevor Simm, who used to be homeless but was recently housed through St Mungo's, said: "I wasn't really doing very much with my time and I've always loved singing so when I heard that they were starting a choir at the Compass Centre, I thought I'd go along.

"I love it, I've made some real friends, I'm feeling a lot happier and it's good to feel part of something positive''.

The choir will perform well-known songs such as Something Inside So Strong, California Dreaming and Get By With A Little Help From My Friends at Kings Square Park on Jamaica Street at 12.15pm.

St Mungo's, a homeless charity, took over the management of the Compass Centre in October and provides access to healthcare, skills and training opportunities for homeless and vulnerable people in Bristol.