MacColl memorial service planned

MacColl died in a speedboat accident last month

Singer Kirsty MacColl, who was killed in a boating accident last month, is to be remembered at a memorial service.

The ceremony will take place at the church of St Martin in the Fields, close to Trafalgar Square, on 20 January.

A spokesman for her management company said the service would be open to the public.

"Kirsty was well-liked and respected throughout the industry so it will be easy to imagine there will be a big turnout." he said.

The church can hold up to 900 people, and has held services for Linda McCartney and broadcaster Desmond Wilcox in the past.

A memorial fund to MacColl, called Music Fund For Cuba, has also been set up.

It will be used to provide instruments and sheet music for children in Cuba, which provided the inspiration for her music throughout the 1990s.

Private funeral

MacColl, 41, was killed on 18 December when a speedboat ran into her as she was diving off Cozumel, off the coast of Mexico, with her teenage sons.

MacColl was a much-loved figure

A speedboat driver held by police after the death of MacColl was released on bail last month.

Her funeral is expected to be a private affair and details are being kept secret.

BBC Radio 2 had planned to air a documentary series she had made about Cuban music shortly after she died, but postponed the shows as a mark of respect.

Now the series will start on 31 January at 2200 GMT, and will be preceded by a tribute programme on 20 January at 2000 GMT.

Donations to the Kirsty MacColl memorial fund can be sent to: Music Fund For Cuba, c/o Major Minor Management, 99c Talbot Road, London, W11 2AT, United Kingdom.