MALVERN music lovers are being urged to support a Ukranian choir which has had to borrow money to visit the UK for its forthcoming tour.

The Boyan Ensemble of Kiev has been visiting Britain annually since 1992, and their unique style has been highly praised by critics.

But this year, members of the 30-strong choir discovered the cost of the work visas had doubled since last year, to £200.

"This amount of money is a fortune for these poor people to find," said Margarete Rolle, the choir's UK representative, who lives in Malvern, "Although they are top professionals, they don't earn enough from singing to support their families. They all have other jobs back in Ukraine in addition to singing and even then they still have a pretty frugal lifestyle.

"It came completely out of the blue. All they have been able to do is to borrow the money they need and hope that they will make enough on the tour to pay it back. If they fail to do so, it could mean the end of the ensemble."

Bryan Pain of Malvern, one of the choir's staunch supporters, said: "This is a tragedy because the Boyan Ensemble has a fantastic and very loyal following in Britain. The beauty of its music often moves concert goers to tears and there are going to be some very disappointed people if this is the last tour. We urge local people to support the concert."

Anyone who can help can call Mr Pain on 01684 564763.

A Foreign Office spokesman said he could not comment on individual cases, but confirmed the cost of work visas went up in April this year.

The Boyan Ensemble is performing at Malvern Priory on Saturday, November 17, at 7.30pm. Tickets (£14, £12, £10) are available at the Malvern Bookshop, Abbey Road.