A SONGWRITER from Exmouth will launch her new album at an event being held at the Pavilion Theatre.

A SONGWRITER from Exmouth will launch her new album at an event being held at the Pavilion Theatre.

Lara Conley, who lives in the town, will launch the album in aid of Thursdays in Black, an initiative promoting gender equality throughout the world, at the Great Big Christmas Sing this Sunday, December 6.

The singer has performed around the South West at a number of venues and festivals and has been a regular player in the folk music scene since moving to Exmouth in 2001.

The Thursdays in Black movement has caught the imagination of scores of people across Devon who wear black on Thursdays as a stand of solidarity with all those who are affected by gender, violence and discrimination globally.

Lara said: "My music is inspired by the world around me: people, experiences, places, stories, thoughts and dreams.

"This collection of songs is focused on issues that I have come across in relation to gender equality, from my own perspective, and are inspired by the belief that things can change."

Lara, speaking about the Thursdays in Black initiative, added: "I think for people to realise that they are all equally important in the world, they need to be loved.

"If people are loved, they can learn to love others, and when that happens there is no room for inequality.

"It's not about swapping characters or roles, and its not about fighting or getting angry to prove a point, its just about being human and showing respect."

Tickets for Exmouth's Great Big Christmas Sing, which has been running for five years, are priced �6 and available from the Pavilion box office.