A MALVERN man who held a hymn-singing marathon has given £1,200 to four charities.

Patrick Plunkett, of Arosa Drive, spent 9 hours singing hymns and spirituals at Lyttelton Well on Saturday, June 2.

This week he handed £300 each to the Lyttelton Well, Malvern Women's Project, the Mhhyat Foyer and the Shan/Burmese refugees in Thailand.

During the hymn-singing marathon, which was non-stop except for brief refreshment breaks, Mr Plunkett sang more than 1,000 different songs.

Around 90 people sponsored the marathon, including two who donated £100 each and three who gave £50.

Representatives of all four organisations thanked Mr Plunkett for his efforts.

Jo Justice, of Malvern Women's Project, said the money would go towards arranging summer activities for the women and children in the refuge.

Martin Harbor, of Lyttelton Well, said the cash would contribute to the running costs of the Christian centre in Church Street.

Canon Bill Richards, for Mhhyat, said the money would be used to continue the work of the Foyer centre, which provides accommodation and education for 18 young homeless people.

And Janet Bingham, representing the refugees project, said the money will be going towards helping the Shan people who have been driven out of Burma.

Miss Bingham herself will shortly be flying out to Thailand to meet Malvern's Steve Wytcherley, who is working with the refugees. Miss Bingham, a teacher, will be giving advice on how to teach English to the refugees.