More than 40 people from an African township settlement will be receiving a warm welcome when they are hosted by families in Woodstock.

The South Africans are members of the Sivuselele Nkosi Choir and are coming to the west Oxfordshire town to sing in the parish church on Wednesday.

Their musical skills will also be broadcast nationwide on Radio Four in a separate concert from Wesley's Chapel in London.

The visit to Woodstock results from a link set up over two years ago between the town's Methodist Church and the black township of New Brighton on the edge of Port Elizabeth.

Methodist minister Jonathan Todd said: "We have raised several thousand pounds for work in the township, particularly for a feeding programme.

"The choir is being accommodated in people's homes overnight, building up links with those who experience the realities of the township on a daily basis."

All the members of the choir live and work in New Brighton as members of the Methodist Church.

Ann Leck, of Cadogan Park, Woodstock, is a member of the World Methodist Council executive and visited the area in 2001. She said: "What they are doing there is remarkable.

"It was very moving to see local people working with the local community on things like a feeding programme and medical and hospital projects."

The choir is giving only one performance, at 7.30pm. Admission is free but funds for the township are raised through a collection.

More African singers are coming to west Oxfordshire as part of a nationwide tour to raise money for a charity helping orphaned and abandoned children.

The Young Zulu Warriors are putting on a concert of vibrant singing and dancing at the theatre in Cokethorpe School, Ducklington, on July 4 - they are also appearing in the county on July 27 at St Mary's Church, Banbury.

They are raising funds for the work of God's Golden Acre which helps hundreds of youngsters and families in Kwa Zulu Natal hit by poverty and HIV/AIds.

For Cokethorpe tickets, call the school on 01993 892338 and for the Banbury concert call 01295 273555.