A charity concert in the Polish capital has raised almost PLN 1 million, the equivalent of some EUR 230,000, in funds for the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo.

The Polish culture ministry, which organised the “Family to Family: Aid to Aleppo” event, has tweeted: “Thank you for all the contributions. All proceeds go to support Syrian families in need.”

The concert at the Royal Theatre in Warsaw’s Łazienki Park on Sunday featured members of the Polish Royal Opera singing traditional Polish Christmas carols and a carol from the Middle East performed by an early music ensemble.

The event was broadcast live by Polish public television TVP, with viewers encouraged to contribute to the charity drive by sending text messages.

Some 10,000 families of various Christian denominations in Aleppo have benefitted from Polish assistance since Caritas Polska, the Polish arm of the international Catholic charity organisation, launched the “Family to Family” project in October 2016.

(mk/gs)