Appeals

CARE, a charity working for international relief and overseas development, is holding a carol-singing concert from 6pm to 7.30pm on Tuesday, at Hay's Galleria, Tooley Street, London SE1. Sixty members of the Philharmonia Chorus will sing traditional Christmas carols to raise funds for Care's emergency work in Somalia. The charity works in 40 of the world's poorest countries. While the emphasis is on long-term development, it has carried out emergency relief work in Somalia for over two years, with two breaks when civil strife forced the operations to be suspended. Since March this year Care has delivered 40,000 tonnes of food to 1.8 million people in Mogadishu and southern Somalia; it has distributed 250 tonnes of sorghum seed and simple hand-tools to over 50,000 farmers in the Bay, Gedo and Bakool regions.

Care, 36-38 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HE, telephone 071-379 5247.

THE BRITISH TINNITUS ASSOCIATION promotes further understanding of tinnitus, permanent and incurable noises in the head, a condition suffered by a tenth of all adults and many children. The noise they hear can range from a hiss to something like a jet-engine or a road drill; it can cause insomnia, anxiety, depression, severe distress and feelings of total isolation. The association promotes counselling and other therapies to combat some of the worst consequences of the condition; it sponsors scientific and clinical research, self-help groups and publishes a quarterly journal, Quiet. An appeal for pounds 5m has been launched with the publication of the Tinnitus Charter 2000, which seeks better provision in the NHS and greater awareness among GPs and the public.

The British Tinnitus Association, Room 6, 14-16 West Bar Green, Sheffield S1 2DA, telephone 081- 317 8934.