An acclaimed international pianist will play a concert in Epsom to raise awareness and funds for refugees.

Margaret Fingerhut has won international renown for her virtuosic talents on the piano.

The concert pianist has performed with such groups as the Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra, while winning plaudits across the British media for her mastery of past masters such Chopin, Mozart, Prokofiev and Rachmaninov.

On April 27 Ms Fingerhut will collaborate with Epsom Refugee Network (ERN) to stage a concert at St Martin's Church in Epsom.

She is currently touring throughout the UK with the City of Sanctuary charity to raise money for refugee causes and organizations, and to highlight the ongoing plight of displaced people the world over.

Ms Fingerhut, who will not receive any fee for the tour, said she had garnered much support since planning the concerts under the title "Far from the Home I Love", and was eager to highlight the issue to as wide an audience as possible.

Ms Fingerhut said: "I was all too aware of the plight of refugees in this country and wanted to help the hundreds of volunteer groups wonderfully supporting them.

"I put together a special programme focusing on composers who had themselves been migrants or refugees. City of Sanctuary leapt at the opportunity to promote this across the country.

"Within just a few weeks, 30 local groups had invited me to come and play and I am now embarking on a most exciting and rewarding tour of the UK."

ERN was founded in 2015 when a group of Epsom churches held a conference to coordinate action on aiding refugees and received overwhelming support.

One of the contributors, Nina Kaye, previously co-founded the wildly successful Refugees At Home group, which helps UK households host refugees in need of accommodation.

Speaking to the Surrey Comet, Ms Kaye, whose mother was a refugee from Nazi Austria, thanked Ms Fingerhut and said that raising awareness about refugees and the solidarity that many in Epsom and beyond extend toward displaced people is crucial.

Ms Kaye said: "It's terribly important to raise awareness. What people don't realize is that there is an enormous amount of goodwill towards refugees among the people of this country. It doesn't get in the papers.

"There are thousands of volunteer groups like the ERN across the country and since we were founded it's grown so quickly," she added, referencing the fact that the organization has managed to coordinate volunteers hosting refugees well over 110,000 times since its inception in 2015.

Ms Kaye said: "We've hosted nearly 30 refugees including a top neuro-surgeon from Syria, we've hosted a graphic designer who helped contribute to the ERN artwork...they're just people like us. People don't choose to become refugees — it's something that happens to you, to anyone. Give refugees a helping hand they repay us in kind."

Tickets for the Epsom concert on April 27 are priced £12 (or £6 concessions) and can be bought by phone on 0333 666 3366 or online at: www.ticketsource.co.uk/margaretfingerhut-epsom-ern

To donate to the ERN go to www.epsomrefugeenetwork.org