The celebrated P&O Ferries Choir are releasing their second album early next month.

Winter Wonderland includes classical pieces by Mozart and Bruckner as well as gospel, pop and folk songs.

The Christmas songs were recorded at the Church of the Ascension, Blackheath, south London, during this summer's record heatwave.

It was done months early to ensure it was ready for the festive season.

And Slade recorded their classic Merry Xmas Everybody during a heatwave in New York in August 1973.

The choir's CD will be launched at Dover College at 6pm on Sunday, December 9.

It follows the choir's debut album, Ship to Shore, which was released in 2015.

That contained many of the popular songs that they performed in concerts, locally, in other parts of this country and in France and America.

The group from the Dover-based ferry company shot to fame in the BBC TV series The Choir: Sing While You Work in 2013.

They beat choirs from companies and organisations from all over Britain.

Since then they have sung with Susan Boyle, backing the Britain's Got Talent winner in her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream. This was during her debut UK tour in 2014.

In addition they have headlined at a classical open air concert at Leeds Castle, sung in London's Hyde Park as part of the Last Night of the Proms, at the Mission to Seafarers Christmas carol concert in central London.

This was attended by the Princess Royal.

They have also taken part in concerts in Dover, Deal and Sandwich and organised summer concerts in Dover and Whitstable.

At the CD launch, the choir will be singing some of the songs on the CD and the tickets, which are £15, include a glass of alcohol or a soft drink and a copy of the CD. Extra copies of the album will then be on sale at £10.

Tickets, which are limited, can be booked at the box office on 07749 490964 or at www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/577328 where there is a booking fee.

Winter Wonderland will also be on sale during a charity concert at The Deal Centre in Park Street from 6.30pm on Friday, December 14.

The show is free but donations are asked for to help keep up activities at the centre such as dementia and independent living services for the elderly.

Admission is by ticket only and these are available at the centre or by telephone on 01304 372608.