Lancaster & District
Male Voice Choir
Registered Charity No. 1074435

Choir History

Little is known about the first fifty years of the Choir because whoever was responsible for keeping records of those early days did not realise that today's events are tomorrows history. The actual formation of the Choir is shrouded in mystery. The only indication of the year of foundation is that 1899 is mentioned in an article in the Lancaster Guardian dated 13th November 1926 regarding the Golden Wedding Anniversary of Mr. & Mrs. R.T. Grosse. In this article it states that he was 'for many years the Conductor of the Lancaster Male Voice Choir which was formed at the end of 1899'. The Guardian in February 1904 reported that 'the Lancaster Male Voice Choir, a new organisation in the Borough, are to be congratulated on the success of their first public concert'. So it would appear that it took four-and-a-bit years of continuous rehearsal before they felt confident enough to face the public! The content of the concert was extensive with many guest artistes including a well-known soprano at that time, Madame Sadler-Fogg. In the audience were many well-known and honoured guests, including Lord Ashton, Colonel Foster, and Sir Frederick Bridge. In his speech, the latter urged the Choir to 'persevere and stick together'. Records state that the Choir were 'at their zenith' in 1906, ( but how could that be said with over another 100 years still to go ? ). This first public concert became an annual event, at varying venues, and their Sixth Annual Concert was held in the Ashton Hall in what was then known as 'The New Town Hall' in Lancaster. This was the first-ever concert held in 'The New Town Hall', and what would R.T. Grosse have said had he been able to know that his Choir would be celebrating their Centenary by giving a concert in the very same hall ? The Choir closed down for the duration of the First World War, after which it was 'reconstructed'. Just how many of the members never returned to be part of that 'reconstructed' Choir is not recorded. Between the two wars, the Choir entered, and were successful, in many of the local Music Festivals, until it once more closed down for the duration of hostilities of the Second World War.

By 1951, the President of the Choir was Brigadier McLean. Mr. F. Yates was both Chairman and Conductor. At this time the Choir was functioning under the name of 'W & G Warisons' under the auspices of Waring & Gillow, Lancaster. The Choir had been approached by Lancaster C.W.S. with an offer to adopt them under the name of 'Lancaster C.W.S. Male Voice Choir'. On offer was a rehearsal room, money fo the purchase of music, and travelling expenses. The only stipulation was for the Choir to enter the C.W.S. Music Festival but records show that this was unanimously rejected by the members.

However, in October 1951, Waring & Gillow gave notice that they required the rehearsal room for use as a Recreation Room and the Choir would have to find other accommodation ! The members countered this by relinquishing the name of Warisons and reverted to the Lancaster Male Voice Choir. Rehearsals were then held at the Cromwell Hall in Lancaster.

In 1954, a suggestion was made that the Choir should amalgamate with the Morecambe Male Voice Choir but was unanimously rejected.

In February 1955, Mr. Norman Ferris was appointed as Conductor.

In 1956, Brigadier McLean moved to Scotland and Councillor Mrs. C.M. Pickard was elected President of the Choir to replace him. (She is still associated with the Choir as Vice President and life-member -- a total of 55 years and counting).

In 1957, the Choir took part in a pantomime in the Royal Albert Hospital, Lancaster organised by the BBC. ( Unfortunately, or otherwise, it never made it over the air-waves !!! ).

The silver lining to the activities of 1959 was that the President Mrs. C.M. Pickard was elected Mayor of Lancaster and consequently the Choirs’ Annual Dinner was held in the Banqueting Hall at Lancaster Town Hall. As a token of respect to the President, and to mark her year of Mayoralty, a Rose Bowl was presented to her from the Choir.

The Choir changed their rehearsal room again in 1963 from the Cromwell Hall to the Oddfellows Hall. A proposal that the rehearsal night be changed from Friday to Tuesday was defeated. It would be another twenty years before this change was effected.

In 1964 a proposal was made to change the name of the Choir to the City of Lancaster Male Voice Choir but this was defeated.

1964 also saw the election as Chairman, of the present Vice-President, Norman Wilkinson. Two other events worthy of mention took place during the year. The Choir performed at the Conference Service of the Independent Order of Oddfellows in the Winter Gardens in Morecambe, and also gave the the first-ever concert specifically held to raise money for Choir Funds. (The amount raised was £24.4s.4d !!!)

A special meeting was called in May 1967 to consider 'the Conductorship of the Choir'. A unanimous vote of 'no confidence' in Mr. F Trudgill was returned and he was asked to resign, although he did continue as a singing member. Norman Ferris was once more appointed as Conductor.

A combined concert with the Storey’s Band at the Ashton Hall in aid of the Extensive Care Heart Unit at Royal Lancaster Infirmary was the highlight of 1969. The guest artistes who had appeared with the Choir for a number of years were Irene Bell and Elaine Kitchin. Sadly, Elaine died some years later but Irene continued to appear as soloist with the Choir. She was elected as President thirty years later. The Choir also joined the National Association of Choirs and sang at their Annual Conference in Morecambe. This invitation would be repeated, and accepted, 22 years later! Albert Shaw, who had served as Treasurer for sixteen years resigned and Norman Hart took up the position.

1971 was the year when the President of the Choir, Councillor Mrs. C.M. Pickard, was granted the freedom of the City of Lancaster. The Secretary, Tom Watson, attended the ceremony on behalf of the Choir.

In 1973, an emergency meeting was called to appoint a new Secretary. Tom Watson, after giving 22 years of loyal service, was forced to resign both that position and the Choir, because of ill-health. Harry Woodhouse was his successor.

This appointment lasted until 1976 when Harry resigned and Phil Slater took up the position.

The concert fees in 1977 were set at £8.00 in the Lancaster area and £12.00 outside of the area.

In 1978, after twelve years as Chairman, Norman Wilkinson resigned due to heavy commitments elsewhere, and Mr. H. Grosse, the son of the founder, was appointed. Clifford Midwinter took up the baton upon the death of Norman Ferris. A piano, in memory of Norman Ferris, was presented to the Choir by his widow, and an engraved plaque was affixed to the inside of the lid. It was in this year that honorariums ceased to be paid to the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and the Conductor. The only paid position from then was that of Accompanist, who was paid £15.00 per annum. Phil Slater resigned as Secretary and Harry Woodhouse once more took up the position.

Royal Blue bow ties became the official tie in 1980. Clifford Midwinter resigned as Conductor and David Townley took over.

In 1981, the Rendsberg Male Voice Choir from Germany visited the city for the second time, and once more the Choir acted as hosts, and asked the Town Hall officials to make all the necessary arrangements. Later, these officials said that the Ashton Hall was not available because of 'council commitments'. The venue was then arranged for The Dome in Morecambe. The concert raised the sum of £271.44p which the Choir rounded up to £275.00. The President, Mrs. Pickard, presented a cheque for this amount to the local Secretary of the International Year of Disabled People (IYDP).

Due to ’misunderstandings’ with the Conductor (who had by this time moved to the Blackpool area) and his regular ’non-appearances’, which reduced the rehearsals to little more than’ sing-songs’, the Accompanist, Mrs. Lowe, resigned because she said that she was not prepared to tolerate these conditions. In November, it was decided to postpone all further rehearsals until the A.G.M. in December. At the A.G.M., the Choir renewed its membership of the National Association of Choirs and David Townley continued as Conductor with a £50.00 honorarium. Rehearsal nights were changed from Friday to Tuesday from December 7th 1981. Concert fees were raised to £15.00.

The Conductor, David Townley, gave notice that he was resigning in February 1982, so a successor would be required. Elaine Kitchin and Irene Bell were still guest singers with the Choir, and Elaine was asked to become Deputy Conductor, to commence in May.

Very little was reported for the reainder of 1982, or 1983, but records do refer to an 'upsetting start to 1984 with our Conductor'. These were apparently turbulent times for the Choir !

Brian Hayes-Jones was appointed to the position of Conductor in January 1984.,and the Deputy Accompanist, Barbara Young, was asked to become the official Accompanist. Norman Wilkinson was appointed to his second spell as Chairman of the Choir. An Octet was formed within the Choir, and whilst this was an asset to the Choir, complaints were made that they were ‘poaching’ certain items from the Choirs’ repertoire. Loud cheers were heard when the Treasurer announced that he did not anticipate having to increase the subscriptions!

In 1984, the Choir changed their rehearsal room from the Oddfellows Hall to the Greaves Church.

At the A.G.M. in 1985, Mrs. Pickard indicated that after 28 years as President of the Choir, she would be willing to stand down if someone else was interested in taking her place. Jack Armitage was appointed to that position with Mrs. Pickard becoming Vice-president, a position she still holds today. Norman Hart resigned as Treasurer after 16 years service in that capacity but continued as a singing member. John Berry was appointed in his place. Tom Manning resigned as Secretary after six years and Tom Robinson was elected in his place. Subscriptions were raised to £6.00 (no cheers this time!) but some members expressed the concern that this might price members out. Sixteen concerts were given during the year, with Elaine Kitchin and Irene Bell still appearing as guest soloists. Concert fees were raised to £15.00.

In 1986 the Choir took part in the Morecambe Carnival Concert at The Dome.

August 1987 saw the start of the 'big sings' of Massed Male Voice Choirs, commencing with the G-Mex Hall in Manchester (1000 voices) and then in future years in venues as diverse as the Manchester Free Trade Hall ; the Preston Guild Hall ; the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall ; the Opera House, Blackpool, and the magnificent Bridgewater Hall in Manchester in October 1998.

Two events which impacted on the Choir occured in 1988. Firstly, it gave the Choir great pleasure to sing at the wedding of one of its stalwarts, Tom Gardner, at Skerton Church in April. Shortly afterwards, on a sadder note, another long-serving member (and one-time Deputy Conductor), Harris Johnson, left the area to live in Bolton.

In 1989, the Choir sang at the funeral of Elaine Kitchin at St. John's Church, Heysham. Elaine had been associated with the Choir for well over twenty years as guest soloist and Deputy Conductor. She was sadly missed. In 1987, Elaine had presented to the Choir a set of music entitled 'Mr. Curwen'. This piece appeared regularly in the Choir's repertoire for many years afterwards.

A concert, which never took place, should have been held in the Free Trade Hall in Manchester in November 1989. Unfortunately it had to be cancelled, because of the threat of some mentally-deranged group who threatened to set off an explosive device during the concert if it went ahead.

At the A.G.M. in 1991, Tom Robinson resigned as Secretary and Roland Brooke was elected in his place. Subscriptions were raised to £9.00 with concert fees going up to £20.00, with the addition of half the transport costs for engagements outside the City boundary. The highlight of 1991 must surely have been when, for the second time in its history, the Choir was invited to sing at the Dome in Morecambe on the occasion of the Annual Conference of the National Association of Choirs.

Jack Armitage resigned as President at the A.G.M. in January 1992, and Tom Flanagan, who at that time was in charge of tourism in the Lancaster area, was appointed in his place. Tom became only the fourth President in the second half-century of the Choir.

The Choir received an invitation to travel to Germany to represent Lancaster at the 150th Anniversary celebration of the Rendsburg Male Voice Choir. Brian Hayes-Jones, the Conductor, asked for a show of hands for acceptance and attendance, and the response was almost unanimous. However, when a meeting was called in February to discuss the visit, the Chairman asked the membership, name by name, who would be prepared to go. Only sixteen said they would, and some of those had reservations. As this would not constitute a representative choir, the decision was made not to attend. At the close of the meeting, Brian Hayes-Jones announced that he was resigning as Conductor. On the basis of the previous response, he had booked his summer holidays to coincide with the visit to Germany. In accordance with the policy of the organisation he worked for, once holidays had been booked they could not be changed. At the rehearsal the following week, Brian handed in his resignation, which contained several issues that had been bothering him for quite a while, and he left the building. In the discussion which followed the Secretary, Roland Brooke, was instructed to meet with Brian and relay to him the Choirs' comments to the issues he had mentioned. This was done, and after much persuasion from the Secretary, Brian revoked his resignation. Another crisis averted!!!!!!!

A new keyboard was purchased during the summer months, which would be used at venues which didn't have a 'concert-pitch' piano. 1992 proved to be a financially sound year with £1,180.00 being raised for the Guide Dogs for the Blind and £800.00 for Choir Funds.

The suggestion that the Choir should host a Massed Male Voice Sing was raised at the A.G.M. in 1993, and the idea was embraced enthusiastically. However, the Secretary, Roland Brooke, suffered a heart attack in February, and the idea fell through. When he had recovered sufficiently to return to the Choir, he resigned as Secretary. During his indisposition, Arnold Diggle had overseen the secretarial work, but as he did not want the job permanently, Phil Slater was appointed.

The chosen Charity of the Year was Heart Concern at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, and appropriately the title of the Charity Concert was entitled 'With a song in your Heart'. The Choir were joined by the pupils of Bowerham Junior School in this, and by the end of the year a total of £688.00 had been raised for the organisation. A cheque for this amount was presented to Sister Anne Williams of Heart Concern by Roland.

A concert which had been held every year for quite a number of years was a birthday treat in honour of, and given by, a past member, Albert Shaw. Albert resided at Derwent Court, which is a home for the elderly, situated half-way between Lancaster and Morecambe. The treat was for his fellow-residents, who always enjoyed the concert, but the highlight for the Choir was that Albert always baked cakes for them which were served at the close of the concert. This particular year was no different --- even though it was his 96th birthday!!!!

The Choir were invited to take part in the Remembrance Concert at The Dome in Morecambe in November. This was a very memorable experience, and one which was to become an annual event in future years.

To raise more money for charities, it was decided to hold 'bucket collections' at the close of every concert, always with permission,of course, of the organisation for which the Choir was singing. Another innovation was the purchase of twelve aerobic exercise steps to form a 'racked' platform during performances ,(it goes without saying that the steps were used by the Choir in their 'static state' !!!!!). These were purchased with a grant from the Lancaster City Arts & Events Council. The grant was for £350.00, but the cost of the steps was only £120.00, so £230.00 was returned to the Council (probably a unique experience for them!!!).

Another former member, Harry Woodhouse, who had been with the Choir for over 40 years and a one-time Secretary, passed away at the age of 86. He lived in the same residential home as Albert Shaw, and sadly, Albert died around the same time. The passing of two stalwart and hard-working members who had been with the Choir for many, many years. No more celebratory concerts at Derwent Court!!

John Pattison, a member who had only been with the Choir for two years or so, died suddenly from a heart attack. His widow requested that the Choir sing at his funeral, which they did. To sing 'Gwahoddiad' and 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' during that service was a very emotional experience.

At the 1995 A.G.M., the Conductor expressed his disappointment with the number of members who did not attend concerts. Nevertheless, he thanked the soloists who were always ready to perform at all the concerts. Norman Wilkinson, who had been Chairman of the Choir for 22 years (in two spells), retired from the position and was immediately appointed a Vice-President. Roland Brooke took up the vacancy as Chairman.

Three unusual concerts, but rewarding in different ways, were given during the year. The first one was given at the Grange Hotel in Grange-over-Sands, for the veterans of the prisoners-of-war on the Greek island of Leros during the Second World War. It was a privilege to sing for them. The second was a concert given with the Thornton Vocal Union, a mixed choir from the Bradford area of Yorkshire. They travelled to Lancaster and the two choirs gave a very enjoyable and successful concert at the Greaves Methodist Church in Lancaster.

The third event was tinged with sadness because it brought about the end of an era. It was the last of the combined Male Voice Choir concerts to be held in the Manchester Free Trade Hall. At the end of the year, the building was to be demolished and a new Concert Hall was to be built elsewhere in Manchester which would be called The Bridgewater Hall. When this building was finally completed, it was a very fine concert hall indeed. The Choir were to have the privilege to sing there on two occasions over the next 17 years.

At the 1996 A.G.M., Roland Brooke resigned as Chairman and was succeeded by John Christian, and Douglas Marsden was appointed Secretary to replace Phil Slater who had had to resign during 1995 due to ill-health.

In 1997, John Christian resigned as Chairman, as did Brian Hayes-Jones as Conductor, although Brian stayed in the Baritone section of the Choir. In the interim period, the Deuty Conductor, Arthur Foster, took up the baton.

In March 1997, Roland Brooke was approached with a request that he take up the position of Chairman once more. With reservations, he did so.

A new Conductor, Susan Fielding, (henceforth to be called the Musical Director) was appointed. On May 27th, the last rehearsal before the summer break, a welcome evening was held for Susan. The sum of £1000.00 had been raised over the last two years for the Voluntary Vehicle Service in Lancaster.

The start of 1998 was a disaster for the Choir! Before the A.G.M., on 6th January, no fewer than seven resignations were tendered. The positions of President, Treasurer, Chairman, Deputy Conductor, Deputy Accompanist, Publicity Officer and Auditor all became vacant.

The Vice-President, as senior serving officer present, took the Chair until the tea break, after which he too announced his resignation not only as Vice-President but from the Choir also. The Vice-chairman was invited to take the Chair but he declined on health grounds. Roland was then asked by the members to Chair the meeting to its close and this he did. It was decided that an extended A.G.M. would be held the following Tuesday. During the following week, the Musical Director resigned. Slowly but surely, most of the positions were filled. Athur Foster agreed to lead the Choir. This continued until 17th February when Arthur made the Choir aware that he had only agreed to conduct temporarily and that he would take only two more rehearsals. In March, Eileen Pulver was appointed as Musical Director and Norman Wilkinson had a change of heart and resumed his position as Vice-President and choir member as before. Eileen took her first rehearsal on 10th March. During the summer months, Phil Slater resigned as Secretary and Roland Brooke was appointed to that position.
Yet another crisis averted!!!!!!

The Choir were invited to take part in a concert of Massed Male Voice Choirs, entitled 'Autumn Harmony', to be held in the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on 17th October 1998. This featured 25 Male Voice Choirs, totalling in the region of 540 voices. It was a wonderful experience to take part in a concert with so large a choir and at such a wonderful venue, one which does not happen very often. On the way to Manchester, the members and their friends stopped off for lunch at the Golden Lion in Swinton, which is a Brewer's Fayre establishment, before proceeding to the Hall for a rehearsal at 2.00 pm in readiness for the concert which commenced at 7.15pm.

The Charity of the Year was The Head Injuries Association because one of the members, David Banks, had been involved in a road accident in 1997. He had suffered severe head injuries and lay in a coma until regaining consciousness just prior to Christmas 1998. Some of the members went to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary to sing carols for him at that time. It was hard to believe that the person lying in the bed was the same young 33 year old they had last seen at choir rehearsal. At concerts given by the the Choir, David was the jewel in the crown. He had been born with the most gorgeous operatic tenor voice and was studying at the Northern College of Music. Just prior to the accident, he had completed a 'Mario Lanza' tour of Malaysia. It was difficult to sing with tears in your eyes. Shortly afterwards, the President of the Choir, Irene Bell, presented a cheque for £900.00 to The Head Injuries Association. This was the amount collected for that Charity over the year.

At the A.G.M. on 5th January 1999, every single position was filled (diametrically opposed to the situation just twelve months earlier!). It was the fervent wish that this Centenary year would see the revival of the Choir in terms of numbers and comradeship, and that it would continue for many years to come.

The first edition of a Choir Newsletter, entitled the 'Male Voice Monthly', was launched at this time. The editor was Roland Brooke and the aim was to produce a newsletter which would be informative and enjoyable. It would record the activities of the Choir and its members, with the facility for members to share with others an article of their own. It would be priced at 20p with any profits going into Choir Funds.

The Choir was officially registered as a Charity on February 26th 1999, the registration number being 1074435.

   The big occasion was on 10th April when the Choir celebrated their Centenary in the Ashton Hall in Lancaster Town Hall. It was an outstanding success. Joining them were the Aughton Male Voice Choir; The Blackpool Soundwaves, a female 'barber-shop' group of ladies; and two young ladies from the Lancaster Girls' Grammar School. They were Soprano, Heather Sutherland, and pianist and accompanist, Rachel Berry. They were outstanding! For two 17 year-olds to be so talented left one wondering to what heights their future careers could take them. The main concern all along -- that of audience numbers -- proved totally unfounded, with around 400 people attending on the night. The tasks of manning the doors, selling programmes and collecting with buckets at the close of the concert were carried out by friends of choir members and volunteers from CancerCare. To these people, heartfelt thanks were offered. The Mayoral party consisted of the Mayor, Councillor Abbot Bryning, and the Mayoress ; the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ivor Thompson, and the Deputy Mayoress ; the Member of Parliament for Lancaster, Hilton Dawson and his wife ; and the President of the Lancaster & District Male Voice Choir, Irene Bell. Roland Brooke had the honour and privilege of acting as Master of Ceremonies for the concert. When the Treasurer issued a financial statement for the evening, it showed it showed an overall profit of £1,562.79p.

Another very enjoyable event in April, was when the Welwyn Garden City Male Voice Choir, who had an engagement to sing in Kirkby Lonsdale, invited the Choir to join them for a sail on Lake Windermere. The idea was that from Bowness to Ambleside and back, many well-loved male voice songs would be aired --- literally. Joining them would also be the Mews Singers. There would about 100 voices in all. The invitation was accepted and it was an unforgettable way to spend a Sunday lunchtime. O.K., it rained from the moment The Teal left Bowness until after it arrived back, but the magnificent buffet and the friendly company of the Welwyn Garden City folks made it an experience to remember for a long time. As for the singing ---- with the amount of 'tonsil varnish' consumed ---- The Soldier's Chorus ; Let it be Me ; Steal Away ; Speed Your Journey ; Softly as I leave You and many others were never better rendered!! The magnificent finale with the heartfelt rendition of Morte Criste left an abiding memory with every chorister. Good Companionship ---- Well met.

The Centenary Dinner was held at the Auckland Hotel in Morecambe on 13th December. As in previous years, the members were highly delighted with the seasonal food placed before them, thanks to the proprietors Lisa and Michael Wood, along with Valerie, Peter and Jason Bracken. A very talented young Soprano, Jane Maudley, and a magician, Martin Scott Price, provided the entertainment on what was a very enjoyable occasion.

The Christmas concert was held at Greaves Methodist Church on 11th December with the pupils from Carleton Green School, Blackpool. The Mayor of Lancaster, Sybil Rostron, and her consort, were present, as was the Treasurer of CancerCare, Mervin Bonnett. At the rehearsal on 13th December the President of the Choir, Irene Bell, presented Chris Ashbey, the Public Affairs Co-ordinator for CancerCare with a cheque for £2,260.00.

This then, is the history, albeit a potted one, of the first 100 years ---- warts and all ----, of The Lancaster & District Male Voice Choir. It is a history of a Choir which was conceived at the time of the Boer War, which survived the First World War (which devastated the population of the country, as did the 'flu epidemic in the years following), endured the privations of the 1920's and 1930's, and the horrors of the Second World War.

   With any individual, it is the 'warts and all' which are instrumental in the make-up of the character of that individual. So it was with any organisation, no less so than with the Choir. It consisted of a collection of individuals, all with their own idiosyncrasies, and it was bound to have its highs and lows, its euphiorias and its doldrums.
   The important thing was to come out at the other side reasonably intact.

At the time of its Centenary, the Choir was probably as numerically low as it had ever been. Its members were getting older and older and with the apparent desire for young men to be satisfied with 'canned' music rather than use the God-given talent of singing for their own satisfaction and that of bringing enjoyment to others, it would have been a shame if the Choir had disbanded for no other reason than its membership getting too old to sing. Fortunately, that was not going to happen.

The joy that is engendered by the making of music and bringing enjoyment to an audience, knows no bounds. For anyone reading this who has never experienced this joy, it is still not too late.    There are plenty of choirs around, both Male Voice and Mixed.

And so, one day in this coming year will see the commencement of the second century of the Lancaster & District Male Voice Choir, and I am sure that there will be peaks and troughs --- it couldn't be otherwise!!



   At the A.G.M. on 18th January 2000 (which was held at St. Paul's Church, Lancaster, because the rehearsal room was not available), several changes in the officers were made. Notably, the Chairman and Secretary, Peter Bell and Roland Brooke, were succeeded by David Johnson and Geoff Finney respectively.

Enquiries were made by the Rev. Graham Thomas, the Padre of Lancaster prison, to see if the Choir would give a concert for the inmates. The Choir was willing but the Governor of the prison was concerned about security and so it never happened.

On March 25th March the Choir took part in a 'Big Sing' at the Evening News Arena in Manchester. The Choir stopped off for lunch at The Bower Hotel in Hollinwood, Oldham, and a fine lunch it was too! The concert was a huge success, with 16,000 people in the audience, and with the 2000 voices in the combined choirs, the sound was magnificent.

The Choir continued to give many concerts throughout the year and at the close of the year, the Charity of the Year, this time 'A Breath for Life', received a cheque for £1,072.93p.

At the 2001 A.G.M., the only new officers were Ken Robinson (Vice-chairman), Peter Bell (Treasurer), Arthur Foster (Deputy Conductor), and Margaret Sykes (Auditor). The Charity of the Year was The Parkinson's Society.

After a number of concerts at local venues, the next Massed Male Voice Concert was held on 5th May 2001 at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool. It was once more a privilege and a source of great joy to be part of a 500-strong Male Voice Choir. The Conductor, as on most of these Big Sings, was Alan Herbert, an extremely talented conductor who brings out the best in every participating chorister.

One concert which cannot be allowed to pass unmentioned, was when the choir sang at Hamilton House Farm on 22nd August. In actual fact, this is not a farm but a Caravan Park, and the concert was part of a series of concerts put on for the caravanners who go there, and this was a different type of concert entirely. It was held in a large barn, which had a small raised platform on which was an organ and an array of loudspeakers. The platform wasn't large enough to hold the Choir so they performed to the side of it. As the Choir waited to start the concert they saw the 'audience' arrive complete with plastic carrier bags which contained many bottles of varying descriptions and contents! The thought in the mind of every choir member was along the lines of 'This is not the usual type of audience or venue!'. We were in for a very pleasant shock, because the audience were very appreciative in their applause, and called for an encore at the close of the programme. One of the items performed was 'You'll Never Walk Alone', and when asked which piece they would like to hear again,they opted for this to be the one. The result was staggering! There must have been getting on for 100 people, all on their feet and waving their arms about. It couldn't have been done better on the terraces at Liverpool Football Club! The atmosphere was electric with both choir and audience belting it out. It was certainly the most exhilarating end to a concert. Buckets were passed around and the sum of £63.00 was collected for The Parkinson's Society.

The last concert of the year was the Christmas Concert held at Lancaster Methodist Church, again with the pupils of Carleton Green School, Blackpool. (Note the name of the church had been changed from Greaves Methodist to Lancaster Methodist).

At the A.G.M. on 8th January 2002, the Charity of the year was named as The Alzheimer's Society.

Sadly, on the 13th January, Bob Garth died. He had been a member of the Choir for just over 15 years but had been in poor health for a number of years and had not been able to attend rehearsals for three or four of those years. Nevertheless, he had retained his membership in the hope that one day he might be well enough to return. In his will he had asked for the Choir to sing 'Gwahoddiad' and 'Morte Criste' at his funeral, and the Choir carried out this wish on 21st January.

On the 21st March, the Choir sang at another funeral. Tom Flanagan, had been President of the Choir from 1992 to 1997, but had been suffering from Parkinson's Disease for many years and on 13th March he was mercifully released from his pain. At the request of his wife, Brenda, the Choir sang 'Gwahoddiad' and the American Spiritual, 'Amen' at the funeral. An American-type jazz band played 'Dixie-land' music as the coffin was committed. Truly inspirational.

On Sunday 2nd June at 7.30 pm, the Choir joined with seven other choirs in a Golden Jubilee Concert at the Opera House in Blackpool. The number of singing voices was 300, along with six items from the choir at Hall Park Primary School in Lytham, Blackpool. The Guest soloist was Joan Aitchison (an extremely competent Soprano). It was a first-class concert and a joy to participate in, but the organisation at the Opera House regarding sound, lighting, etc., left much to be desired. As usual, the Compere and Musical Director for the evening, Alan Herbert, was superb. The Organist and Accompanist was David Windle, the resident organist in the Tower Ballroom.

The first concert after the summer break, on 21st September, was at a new venue for the Choir. This was at Cartmel Priory, Cumbria. This is a fabulous place in which to sing. There were only 17 members present (those missing being struck down with a variety of illnesses), but that didn't detract from it being a first-class performance by the Choir and also the instrumentalists Alison and David Findlay, duetists David Johnson & Arthur Foster, and soloists Roland Brooke and Geoff Finney. At the interval, a member of the audience, a gentleman from Edmonton, Canada, asked if he might be allowed to take a photograph of the Choir. He and his wife were touring the U.K. and he wanted it to be part of the record of their tour. At the close of the concert, he and his wife gave the Choir a standing ovation. (It seemed a fitting end to what had been a most enjoyable evening). This became an annual booking for the next few years.

On the 19th October, a charity concert in aid of our Charity of the Year, Alzheimer's Society, was held at Sefton Road Church, Heysham. The concert was a great success with the Choir and their soloists performing well and the guest soloist, Janet Hoyle, performing extremely well. She sang a block of four arias from various operas in the first half with a couple of Victorian/Edwardian parlour songs and two songs from the shows in the second half. The 'downside' of the evening was that the temperature inside the church was just on the top side of freezing (perhaps an exaggeration but both performers and audience were decidedly cold). It didn't help matters in that the Mayor and Mayoress of Lancaster were invited guests!!! The amount raised that evening was £427.00.

The last concert of the year was the annual Christmas Concert. This was performed once more with the pupils of Carleton Green School, Blackpool, and was held at Lancaster Methodist Church on the 9th December. As ever, the children were a delight to listen to. The amount made on the night was £505.58p bringing the total for the year for The Alzheimer's Society to £1.533.00. The presentation of the cheque for this amount was made by Norman Hart, a member of the Bass section, at the last rehearsal on 10th December. Norman was chosen because his wife, unfortunately, suffers from the disease.

The deaths of two former members of the Choir were announced this month. The first, in the second week of December, was that of Jack Armitage. Jack was well known in the area for his work in raising money for various Charities, notably, 'Jack's Bath'. He had been President of the Choir from 1984 to 1991 inclusively. The second was that of Tom Gardner, who died on 21st December. Tom had been with the Choir for over 20 years. His funeral service was held at Skerton Methodist Church, and the Choir sang 'Gwahoddiad' as a mark of respect, prior to his cremation.

The A.G.M. on the 6th January 2003, was held in the rehearsal room at Lancaster Methodist Church. The Officers of the Choir remained unchanged with the exception that Douglas Marsden was appointed as Publicity Officer, and Martin Mellowdew as Deputy Accompanist. Two other changes made and accepted were that the summer break would be for three months and the month of April be kept free of bookings and be devoted to the learning of 'new music', (whatever that might mean!!) The committee reviewed the arrangement of the 'Male Voice Monthly' Newsletter (then in its fourth year and edited solely by Roland Brooke). They decided that members should continue to receive a free copy each month, and that the concert fee of £35.00 should remain unchanged. Heart Concern was chosen as Charity of the Year. The meeting was informed that the Choir was fully booked for the year 2003, with three 'possibilities' for 2004.

Two things are worthy of mention. Firstly, Mrs. C.M.Pickard, who had been President from 1957 to 1989 inclusive and Vice-President from then until the present day, was to be approached with the suggestion that she become an honorary Life Member. Roland Brooke was to visit her to ascertain her feelings on this. She subsequently accepted the position, which she described as 'a great honour'. Secondly, Norman Wilkinson, now in his 92nd year, felt that it was time to retire as 'a singing member' of the Choir, but wished to continue his membership in all other ways. Norman had been a Vice-President since 1993, and when invited to continue in this position, he expressed a wish to do so. Norman had joined the Choir on 15th October 1950!!!

On the 25th March, at rehearsal, another landmark in the history of the Choir occurred. This was the introduction of a 'second uniform', which consisted of a V-necked maroon jumper embroidered with the choir logo, and a tie which having a navy blue background and gold diagonal stripes.

For the visit to Cartmel Priory this year, on 17th May, the guest artistes were Warren and Gareth Brookfield, pupils at Cartmel Priory Cof E School. Both boys played the violin to a very high standard and were a pleasure to listen to.

The first concert after the summer break was a return to Hamilton House Farm, the Caravan Park. After the success of the concert last year, this was looked forward to with happy memories. We were not disappointed, because the Choir were given a warm welcome, and it was just as enjoyable as on the previous occasion.

The Charity concert in aid of Children in Need was held at Christ Church, Broadway, Morecambe on Saturday 15th November. It was a successful evening with £300.00 being raised for the Charity. The Choir wore their new uniforms for the first time.

The A.G.M. for 2004 was held in the rehearsal room at Lancaster Methodist Church on 6th January. The changes in Officers were :- Ken Robinson became Chairman; John Christian became Vice-Chairman; and Mr. M. Machin (the treasurer for Lancaster Methodist Church) became the Auditor. It was decided that the monthly Newsletter should continue and that the subscription fee should stay unchanged.

The concert with the pupils of Carleton Green School in Blackpool which had been cancelled from Christmas 2003, was now held at their school on 10th March. It was a pleasure for us to visit them rather than the other way round. It was a very enjoyable concert with both school and our Choir performing their pieces admirably.

It was at Torrisholme Methodist Church, at which two of our members were regular worshippers, that the next concert was held on 27th March. The guest artiste was Wendy Sharrock, who is also a member of that church. Everyone enjoyed the evening.

The Choir lost another long-serving member when, on the 13th February, Norman Hart died in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary from the effects of a stroke. Norman had been in the Bass section of the Choir for 40 years, fifteen of them as Treasurer. In the weeks prior to his death, Norman had arranged for the Choir to give a concert at St. Peter's Church, Quernmore, the church which both he and his wife attended. Sad to say, that between arranging the concert and the actual event both he and his wife had died. The concert was great success and both Norman and Margaret would have been proud to have been the instigators.

The proceeds from the next concert, at Skerton Methodist Church, was in aid of the on-going Charity of the Year, Heart Concern. This was held on Wednesday 12th May. The items in the programme were in memory of Tom Gardner who had been in the Choir for over twenty years and, as already mentioned, died in December 2002. He had also been a long-serving member of Skerton Church so, as can be imagined, the concert was full of nostalgia and emotion, but also a fitting tribute to a very fine man.

The first concert after the summer break was held at Cartmel Priory on 18th September. The Guest Atrtiste was saxophonis John Woodhouse. A young lady, Becky Owen, joined John in one of his pieces but unfortunately, due to lack of preparation beforehand, she could not be heard for most of the piece. John himself, played impeccably, although it was felt by some that a more popular choice of music could have been chosen. The Choir performed very well and as they exited the stage at the close of the programme, they were given continuous applause until the last man was out of sight.

The day before this concert, Mrs. Pickard, who had been President of the Choir from 1957 to 1983, and a Vice-President ever since, celebrated her 90th birthday. As she had also been a past Mayor of Lancaster she held her birthday celebrations in the Banqueting Suite at Lancaster Town Hall. The invited guests from the Choir were Norman Wilkinson (Vice-President), Irene Bell (President), and Roland Brooke.

The Choir sang again in a concert in aid of the Children in Need organisation, which was again held at Christ Church, Broadway, Morecambe. It was a bitterly cold night but the audience were appreciative and the sum of just over £270.00 was raised.

The Christmas Concert was held at Lancaster Methodist Church on 4th December, again with the pupils of Carleton Green School, Blackpool. As always, the children were 'bubbly' and full of enthusiasm and performed their programme admirably, as did the Choir. The song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' went down with its usual hilarity! A sum of £556.80 was raised on the night.

In the rehearsal room at Lancaster Methodist Church, the 2005 A.G.M. was held on 4th January. Several changes were made regarding the Officers of the Choir. These were :-
                   Chairman.........         From Ken Robinson to Tim McCann
                   Vice-Chairman ....... From John Christian to David Ross
                   Welfare Officer ...... From Arthur Foster to Roland Brooke (until such time time that Arthur feels able to return to the Choir)
                   Publicity Officer ..... Roland Brooke
                   Sole Librarian ........ Arnold Diggle (John Christian having resigned)

On 1st February a concert was held at St. Thomas's, Lancaster, in aid of Heart Concern. During the interval, the President of the Choir, Irene Bell, presented a cheque for £1,135. 00p to a representative of the Charity. This, added to the £250.00 already presented at an earlier date, brought the total amount raised to £1,385.00p. It was decided that the Charity of the Year for 2005 would be the 'Home for the Hover' appeal for the R.N.L.I
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                      This was the time of the Tsunami disaster in South-East Asia, and the choir sent a donation of £250.00 to the Disaster Appeal.

On Tuesday 18th January, Arthur Foster's wife, Mary, sadly passed away. Towards the end of February, as Arthur felt able to return to the Choir, Roland Brooke relinquished the position of Welfare Officer, and handed it back to him.

At the Lifeboat House on Morecambe promenade, a number of the Choir members assembled to present a cheque for £800.00p in aid of the 'Home for the Hover' Appeal.

At the rehearsal on 27th September, the Musical Director, Eileen Pulver and the Accompanist, Barbara Young gave notice that they would be relinquishing their positions at Christmas. At the next rehearsal it was decided that the concerts which were booked up until Christmas would be honoured, but anything being planned for 2006 would be cancelled until the future of the Choir had been fully discussed.

The Annual 'Children in Need' concert was held again at Christ Church, Broadway on 19th November. The Choir sang well enough but the audience numbers were pitifully small. No announcement was made regarding the amount raised for the Charity.

The final 'ordinary concert' of the year, and the last one at which Eileen Pulver and Barbara Young officiated, was performed at the Holy Trinity Church, Bolton-le-Sands on 7th December. This was an exceptionally good concert, given in a church with very good acoustics. As on every occasion when the Choir had sung there, at the end of the concert an extremely good buffet supper was supplied to both Choir and audience.

The word 'ordinary' was used to describe the previous concert because two weeks later the Choir performed live on Radio Lancashire outside ASDA in Preston, and this was Eileen and Barbara's farewell appearance with the Choir.    So ended the singing year for 2005, leaving the Choir without a Musical Director and without an Accompanist.

The A.G.M. for 2006 was held in the rehearsal room at Lancaster Methodist Church, The only changes in the Officers, (apart from the M.D. and the Accompanist who had yet to be appointed), were Geoff Boulton, who became a Librarian alongside Arnold Diggle, and Roland Brooke, who once again took over the position of Welfare Officer in place of Arthur Foster. The position of Minute Secretary was filled by Hugh Cutler. A previous Conductor of the Choir, Brian Hayes-Jones, and a young lady called Helen Morley were asked to take rehearsals until such time that new appointments were made.

   In answer to an advetisement in the Lancaster Guardian for the position of Musical Director, three applicants came forward. They were Colin Parsons, Ed Venn and Fredrick Holm. They were asked to audition on 17th January when each would be interviewed orally by the committee for 15 minutes before they, in turn, were to conduct the Choir in the pieces 'Goin' Home' ; An American Trilogy ; and Dashenka. In the event, each candidate asked that a piece of their choosing be used.
   This was permitted, and the successful candidate was Dr. Ed Venn, Lecturer of Music and Undergraduate Admissions Tutor at Lancaster University, and it was agreed that he would take his first rehearsal on 14th February.

At the rehearsal on 7th February, three young people were interviewed for the position of Accompanist. They were Nicola, Richard and William, each of them first-year students at Lancaster University. William Smith-Daye was appointed and a contract was drawn up to the effect that both the M.D. and the Accompanist would be subject to a three-month probationary period and thereafter be able to withdraw from the contract with one month's notice being given.

At the beginning of February a member of the Choir, Jack Clapham, died, and on Wednesday 8th February, the Choir sang at his funeral service at Sefton Road Church, Heysham. It was a very moving service attended by many people. Instead of the usual commencement of a funeral service where the minister leads the cortege in with the words 'I am the Resurrection and the Light, etc., Marian, Jack's widow, had requested that Roland Brooke sing 'Amazing Grace' as the coffin and the family made their way to the front of the church. Part way through the service, the Choir sang 'Morte Criste' and at the close, as the coffin was leaving the church, they sang 'When the Saints go marching In'. In discussion with Peter Bell, the Choir Treasurer, Barbara Young had agreed to play for the Choir because Will Smith-Daye was unavailable.

It wa decided in committee that the positions of both the M.D. and the Accompanist should carry a remuneration of £10.00 per rehearsal and the same figure for each concert. The first rehearsal with the two new officials took place on 14th February when, unfortunately, five members were absent because of illness or work commitments.

Because of the increased expenditure the Choir was now faced with, it was decided that a raffle should be held at each rehearsal with the membership providing a raffle prize in turn. The first one took place on 21st February, and a total of £7.50p was raised. This has been a regular feature ever since. The rehearsals under Ed Venn proved to be very enjoyable although a lot of bad habits that the Choir had got into were revealed!!!

   Ed Venn was not available for the concert at Bare Methodist on Saturday 6th May 2006, but we were very fortunate in that Frances Chiasson was able to appear with us as guest Conductor. Frances is a Canadian lady who, with her husband, had settled in Lancaster and started to attend Lancaster Methodist Church, hence the connection with the Choir. She had only one rehearsal with the Choir prior to the concert but anyone not having this knowledge would have thought she was the regular conductor, she was magnificent!! She was afterwards invited to become Deputy Musical Director, but she felt unable to accede to the request. It was due to her expertise that the Choir sang very well and the evening was a huge success. Will Smith-Daye was the Accompanist and under the circumstances (it being the first concert with the Choir), he did very well.The soloists were Roland Brooke, who sang 'The Hippopotamus Song' and 'Ten Thousand Angels', Geoff Finney, who sang 'Mary of Argyle', and David Ross, who sang 'Where e'er you Walk' and 'Ombra Mai Fu'.

   The first concert at which Ed and Will performed together with the Choir was at Cartmel Priory on 13th May. They both did the Choir proud. The guest artistes on this occasion were four young men from the Lancaster Royal Grammar School who went under the most unlikely name of 'The Veg'. They were Shaun Pirttijarvi (piano & organ) ; James Yule (violin) ; Jonathan O'Flaherty (guitar) ; and John Bowker (violin). They were tremendously talented young men and the audience were treated to a wealth of music, both solos and duets. Will Smith-Daye showed off his expertise as a solo pianist also.

Despite these most welcome appointments, also in 2006 came a crisis! The week prior to these new appointments, an emergency meeting had been called to discuss the future of the Choir. Numbers had been falling steadily, with no new members joining. Ir was decided that the Publicity Officer, Roland Brooke, should contact the Lancaster Guardian with a view to their running a feature on the history of the Choir and including a recruitment appeal, with an official statement that if no new members had joined by the end of the year the 106-year-old Choir would have to disband. The newspaper agreed to co-operate fully in this respect.

   It was decided that a concert in memory of Jack Clapham, who had died in February, should be held at Sefton Road Church, Heysham on Sunday 8th October at 3.00 pm. Janet Hoyle (contralto) agreed to be the guest artiste. Peter Bell, Roland Brooke and Janet Hoyle met with the Rev. Helga Cornell, minister of the church, to discuss the format of the programme for the concert. This agreed programme was emailed to the Musical Director and he accepted it. Unfortunately, Will Smith-Daye, would not have returned to the University in time for the concert, so Barbara Young was contacted and out of respect for the memory of Jack, she agreed to play not only for the concert but for all the rehearsals leading up to it. After the concert, refreshments were provided by the church and a photographer from the Lancaster Guardian took a series of photographs which appeared in the Guardian on the 'Guardian People' page.

On Saturday 9th September, the Choir were invited to appear in Market Square, Lancaster, to sing live on Radio Lancashire. Only a few members were available, but they acquitted themselves very well. Brian Hayes-Jones was the Conductor.

Bowerham Primary School were approached to appear with the Choir in the Christmas Concert. Unfortunately, they said that they would not be able to do so. Roland then approached Scotforth St. Paul's C of E Primary School in Lancaster and they agreed to appear with us. The concert took place on 8th December. Ed Venn led the Choir and Jane Guilfoyle was responsible for training the schoolchildren. The concert was the usual resounding success that we had come to enjoy from a Christmas concert, and the audience went away full of praise for an enjoyable evening. As there was still some doubt as to whether or not the Choir would disband at the end of they year, all the proceeds were given to the school to pass on to the Olivia Project at the Bweyale Primary School in the Masindi District of Uganda.

By this time, and primarily because of the article in the Lancaster Guardian, four new members had been recruited (three of whom remained in the Choir). It was decided, therefore, that the Choir would not disband, but continue into 2007.

The A.G.M. for 2007 was held, as usual in the rehearsal room at Lancaster Methodist Church. All the existing officers were re-appointed for the coming year with the exception of the Welfare Officer. This position had been held temporarily by Roland Brooke until such time that Arthur Foster returned to the Choir. However, Arthur had felt that he would not be returning, and since no one else volunteered for the position, it remained vacant for the time being.

The following week, at the first rehearsal, two more new members were recruited.

The Choir returned to Cartmel Priory once more on 12th May when the guests were four Lancaster University students called Diana Littlewood, Jennie Hazeldene, Flo Bishop, and Charlotte White. They performed under the name of The Recossa String Quartette. They were superb!!! There is no doubt that they enhanced the quality of the evening.

In May, Jane Guilfoyle was appointed as Deputy Conductor and Matthew Leedal was appointed as Deputy Accompanist. Jane had her 'baptism of fire' when she conducted the concert at St. Peter's Church, Quernmore, when Ed Venn was unavailable. She came through it with flying colours with compliments being expressed by choir members and audience alike.

At the first rehearsal of the new season, 7th August, it was learned that Will Smith-Daye had resigned because the work-load of his studies in his final year at the University meant that he could not commit the necessary time to the Choir. The deputy accompanist, Matthew Leedal informed us that he had applied for a job in Sussex, and if he was successful, it would leave the Choir without an accompanist once again. Also at this rehearsal, Geoff Boulton took over as Publicity Officer and Roland Brooke reverted to the position of Welfare Officer.

With a concert at St. Peter's, Leck, due on 2nd November, Barbara Young was once more contacted. She agreed to play at this concert, and if Matthew was still in the area, would share the playing with him, which in the event, is what happened. This was new venue for the Choir and the warm and welcoming feeling extended to the Choir, made it a very enjoyable experience. Under the direction of Ed Venn the Choir sang well, as did the soloists, Paul Baxter, Geoff Finney and David Ross. The Lady Shuttleworth of Leck gave the vote of thanks.

Barbara also said that she would play at the Christmas Concert on 4th December at Lancaster Methodist Church.

   That year, the pupils of St. Luke's Hest Bank Community Primary School were invited to join the choir in the annual concert. It was a huge success with the school choir and school band giving great pleasure to the audience and the Male Voice Choir alike. In attendance were the Mayor of Lancaster, Councillor Helen Helme, and the Mayoress, Patsy Cragg, as was Irene Bell, President of the Choir, who is also a governor at St. Luke's school, so it was a double pleasure for her.

As usual, the A.G.M. for 2008 was held in the rehearsal room on Tuesday 8th January.

In the week prior to this, the Musical Director, Ed Venn, gave notice that he would leave the Choir directly after the concert which had been arranged at Central Methodist Church, Morecambe, on 8th February.

At the A.G.M., Tim McCann resigned as Chairman for health reasons and he was thanked for his work in that post since 2005. David Ross moved up from Vice-Chairman to Chairman and his position was taken by Hugh Cutler. These were the only committee changes made. Fortunately, the Choir was able to enlist the services of Pauline Atkinson Rigby (the wife of the minister at Lancaster Methodist Church) as the new Musical Director, but on a temporary basis only, because in September her husband would finish his ministry at the church and they would be returning to his native New Zealand. Roland Brooke announced that the Choir was back on the internet with their website :- www.lancasteranddistrictmalevoicechoir.org.uk     He also asked for more input into the Monthly Newsletter from the membership. The subscriptions would remain at £40.00 per annum.

At a committee meeting on 19th January, it was reported that at the concert at Central Methodist Church on 8th February, entitled 'Over the Sands II', the Choir would be on first, followed by the 'Central Singers' (the pupils from Central Lancaster High School), then the Morecambe Gospel Male Voice Praise, and finally, the Lancaster and District Choral Society. It was decided that ten new jumpers, ties and roses would be purchased for use by new members.

At the concert which the choir had given at St. Peter's, Leck the previous year, the lady who gave the Vote of Thanks had been The Lady Shuttleworth of Leck. The decision was made that she now be invited to become Patron to the Choir. President Irene Bell and Chairman David Ross approached her by letter and she readily agreed.

   With a £200.00 grant from the City Council, five pieces of music were purchased from Alan Simmons, the music arranger. These were, 1) Easter Hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana ; 2) Medley from The Pirates of Penzance ; 3) Sinatra Medley ; 4) Smoke gets in your Eyes ; and 5) I will lift mine eyes unto the Hills. Numbers 1,2, and 5 to be performed at the Cartmel Priory concert on 31st May.

At this concert, three guest artistes supported the Choir. They were :- Frances Chiasson (Soprano), Helen McGregor (Mezzo Soprano), and Paul Baxter (Organist) who was also one of the choir's top tenors. The concert was, as usual, a great success with the soloists adding greatly to the overall performance. Pauline Atkinson Rigby was the Conducter and Matthew Leedal was the Accompanist.

   On the 6th of June, the Choir raised £350 plus for CancerCare in a concert given at St. John's Church, Lancaster. Pauline Atkinson Rigby was M.D. and Matthew Leedal Accompanist on this occasion. The soloists were Paul Baxter (organ) and Roland Brooke (baritone). In view of the acoustics of the church, it was decided at a subsequent committee meeting that the Choir would hold an annual concert there for a stipulated Charity.

The final concert of the session was at Nazareth House, Lancaster, on 10th June. Pauline Rigby was M.D. and Matthew Leedal the Accompanist. The soloist was Roland Brooke and the members were treated to the usual welcome and satisfying supper afterwards. The chairman, David Ross, had already informed the Committee that Pauline would be relinquishing the position of M.D. at the close of this concert, and that is what happened.

Efforts were made to acquire the services of a new M.D., and after some fruitless advertising, David Ross informed the Choir that he had arranged for Hugh Smith, the Senior Lecturer in Music Education at the University of Cumbria, to take on the Choir for a trial period of six months starting in September.

The Choir undertook two bookings during the holiday period. The first was on June 28th, when they sang at the birthday party of 85-year-old Renwick MacArthur at the recently re-opened Midland Hotel in Morecambe, and the second at the wedding of Jenny, the daughter of Chairman David Ross, at the church of St. Mary the Virgin in Richmond, Yorkshire.

   'Birthday boy' Renwick, is a poet and composer and as part of their programme at his birthday concert, the Choir performed one of his compositions called 'The Waters O' Dryfe' with David Ross singing the verses. Renwick's pleasure and surprise was absolute . Roland Brooke was the soloist and Brian Hayes-Jones conducted and Barbara Young was the accompanist. The party went very well with about twenty of Renwick's relations in the family group, all very friendly people. Fifteen members of the Choir were able to attend and everyone said how well they sang. One amazing coincidence was when the Choir sang 'Some Enchanted Evening'. The lyrics talk of 'meeting a stranger across a crowded room, and somehow you know that somewhere you'll meet her again and again'. The coincidence was that Renwick and his wife Jean first met at a dance in Locherbie many years ago!

The trip to Richmond on 8th August, to sing at the wedding of Jenny Ross and Michael Fenwick, was another first and another enjoyable experience. The bride's father, David Ross, sang Handel's Largo during the service. Brian Hayes-Jones conducted, and Barbara Young accompanied. Ten members of the choir were able to attend. A mini-bus was hired for the one hour 45 minute journey which, with Hugh Cutler's excellent driving, was quite uneventful. The choir sang well in the excellent acoustics of the church, and after the service they had a very nice meal at The Turf Hotel, which is close by the church. The choir arrived back in Lancaster at 5.00 pm (a testimony to Hugh's excellent and safe driving!).

After the summer break, Hugh Smith took over as Music Director and Anna Wooton (one of Hugh's students at the University of Cumbria) became the accompanist, Matthew Leedal having resigned during the break.

The Choir performed next at Christ Church, Lancaster on 1st November. This is the church where our founder, Richard Thomas Grosse, had been Organist and Choirmaster from 1906 until his retirement, due to ill-health in 1925.This was the first concert in which Hugh and Anna had led a concert with the Choir. The concert was reasonably successful with a few obvious mistakes from the Choir and a very poor turn-out in terms of audience numbers (roughly 31 in number). The first solo spot was taken by Roland Brooke and the next two by Anna Wooton, who played magnificently.

This year's Christmas Concert was again given with pupils from St. Luke's Hest Bank Community Primary School on 2nd December. This was the usual success story with the children performing extremely well. Many potential members of the audience were kept away by the extremely cold weather (very slippery underfoot), but those who did attend said that they had enjoyed it very much.

For a number of years the Choir had rounded off the year with a Hot Pot Supper, and this year was no different, it being held on 9th December. The first item of the evening was the 'dedication' of the newly-furbished piano. Mr. Mark and Mrs. Felicity Burrow from the Galbraith Trust, and Mr. Clive Horsford from the Lancaster Methodist Church were the invited guests, as representatives of the two bodies responsible for funding the refurbishment. Roland Brooke again organised the entertainment for the evening. After the piano ceremony, which was carried out on behalf of the Choir by Chairman David Ross, Anna Wooton played a beautiful piano solo which not only showed off the refurbishment of the intrument but also her brilliant expertise as a pianist. The choir members who did their 'party pieces' were Roland Brooke, Roger Masheder, Ken Robinson, David Ross and Jack Yates. The most hilariest of these being one of David's 'Scottish Ditties', which was delivered at a terrifying speed. After each two verses, the audience had to sing a chorus in Scottish dialect!! The whole thing was indescribably funny. To bring the entertainment to a close, Roger Masheder delivered another of his Stanley Holloway monologues. Finally, there followed the delicious Hot Pot Supper with a choice of either Chocolate Mousse or Sherry Trifle for afters.

As usual, the A.G.M. for 2009 was held in the rehearsal room on Tuesday 6th January. The Treasurer, Peter Bell resigned after serving in that position since 2001, and Jack Yates was appointed in his place. The Secretary, Geoff Finney who had also served since 2001, resigned in favour of Roger Masheder. It was decided that subscriptions should remain at £40.00 but any shortfall from concert fees should be made up from a £5.00 levy on all members at the end of the year.

In January, the Choir received a grant of £200.00 from the City Council Small Grants department, and it was decided to spend the money on new music and new folders for use at future concerts. Roger Masheder was to make enquiries about the suppliers for the folders.

An enquiry had been made for the Choir to sing at a wedding in Bolton-le-Sands on 12th September. In relation to this, the bride-to-be had requested we sing a piece called 'The Rose'. Since this song was in the Choirs' repertoire, thirty copies were bought out of the Small Grants money. In the event, the invitation was withdrawn, but 'The Rose' became a very popular addition to our repertoire.

An Extraordinary Committee Meeting was called in February regarding the appointment of a new M.D. and a new Accompanist. Hugh had decided not to extend his tenure beyond the agreed six months and Anna Wooton would be leaving the area on the 20th June upon the completion of her course at the University of Cumbria, but she kindly agreed to return for the concert at St. John's Church, Lancaster, on the 27th June. Hugh also agreed to continue until the end of June.

On the 25th April 2009, the Choir performed in the Arndale Centre in Morecambe. This was a new venture and was in aid of Choir Funds. The Choir sang a block of six songs three times over with a short break between each block. The twin intentions of this venture were to publicise the Choir and hopefully attract new members. The shoppers were generous in their applause and their giving, and a sum of £103.89 was collected in the buckets. Hugh Smith was the Conductor and Anna Wooton the Accompanist. During this performance, a chap called Derek Walters approached Treasurer Jack Yates enquiring about the position of Accompanist. Jack explained that unfortunately Anna would be leaving us and Derek expressed an interest. Two other applicants, Wesley Possible and Alex Phillips, both from Lancaster University, had already applied for the post, so all three were invited to come for audition on 12th May. Alex was offered the position and he accepted. Derek was offered the position of Deputy Accompanist and he also accepted. Both took up office in September.

On the 9th June, a concert at another new venue was given. This was at St. Mary's and St. Michael's R.C. Church in Garstang, and was in aid of Preston and Garstang CancerHelp. The church was a lovely place to sing in, the soloists being Anna Wooton (piano), Paul Baxter (tenor) and Hugh Smith (Music Director). At the close of the concert Anna and Hugh were cordially applauded for a prolonged period of time. The Choir sang well and afterwards members of the audience were overwhelming with their praise. Present at this concert were Lord and Lady Shuttleworth and the Mayor and Mayoress of Wyre. Although, as has been said, the audience were very appreciative, they were rather lacking in numbers.

A very pleasant occasion arose on the 25th June when the Choir were asked to sing at a surprise 60th birthday party for Ken Robinson, which members of his family had organised at the Midland Hotel, Morecambe. Unbelievably, both the family and the Choir managed to keep any knowledge of the party from Ken! As he entered the room where the party was being held, the assembled Choir sang 'Happy Birthday To You'. Ken was staggered. Four songs were then sung, followed by a buffet supper of the highest quality. A most rewarding evening.

Little did we know that one month later, on 6th August, we would be singing at Ken's funeral service at St. Patrick's RC Church, Heysham.

   The concert at St. John's Church, Lancaster, on 27th June, was the last one at which Hugh Smith and Anna Wooton led the Choir. We couldn't have performed better. The instrumental soloists were Anna Wooton (piano) and Paul Baxter (organ), and the vocal soloists were Hugh Smith and Roland Brooke. At the end of the concert, the audience demanded encores, and 'Steal Away' and 'When the Saints go marching In' were sung. If the audience had had their way we would have sung more!

At the end June the Music Director, Hugh Smith, left the Choir, and subsequently obtained a post as Senior Lecturer in Music Education at at the University of
West Scotland. At the same time the Accompanist, Anna Wootton, who had successfully completed her course at the University of Cumbria and obtained a post as a Lecturer in Music at South Cheshire College, Crewe, left the area. The Choir were sad to lose the services of Hugh and Anna. From Hugh's knowledge and expertise as a Music Director, they had learned a lot, and his 'warped' sense of humour made rehearsals a pleasure, as were his banter with Anna (tutor and student). Anna, being female, always gave back as good as was handed out!    Both were presented with booklets containing the history of the Choir.

The summer break was a catalogue of horrors for some of the members. At the beginning of August, Roland Brooke contracted swine flu fever (from which it took the whole of August to recover). At the same time, Jack Yate's wife, Jen, broke her leg (which was encased in plaster for many, many weeks).

Then came the sad news that Geoff Fimmey's mother had died in Liverpool, the choir offering sympathies and deepest condolences to Geoff and his family).

John Berry was slowly recovering from his stomach problems and later he returned to the Choir to stay with them for many years.

Peter Bell's wife, Jean, had an operation on her toes and her leg was encased in plaster for weeks,Peter reckoning that he coped very well being 'in charge'!!

Just as we hoped that was the end of the bad news, Brian Hayes-Jones brother, Jack, died in Liverpool. Again the choir members offered their deepest sympathies to Stella and Brian on their sad loss.

The break seemed to be ending on a more joyful note when the Choir sang at the wedding of Polly Rigby and Tony Armstrong at St. Paul's Church, Lancaster, on Saturday 22nd August, ........

......... but then came the tragic news that Andrew Neal's wife, Jessica, had died in hospital in Leicester. The choir shared in Andrew's sorrow and sadness at this tragic loss, and their hearts went out to him, his children, and his family, at this terrible time)

   When the Choir re-convened on the 1st September, Derek Walters took up his post as Musical Director with Alex Phillips as Accompanist.

   On 1st October, Hugh Cutler and Roland Brooke attended the Freshers' Fair at the University of Cumbria and were fortunate in attracting three students, Owen Dilling (tenor), Phil Mumford (tenor), and Stuart Birse (bass), to join the Choir. A little time later they brought one of their friends, Ryan Otley, also a tenor.
Since then four more men - Tony Armstrong : Nick Gill : Pip Riley and Frank Ledwith - have also joined the Choir which is very pleasing, but there is still a vital shortage of Top Tenors!

The next performance was in St. Nicholas Arcade in Lancaster on Saturday 3rd October. This went very well, the acoustics being very good. A bucket collection was made made which amounted to £132.10 for the Choir Funds.

   A concert in aid of the Charity 'Action for Children' was given on 17th October at Lancaster Methodist Church. The Musical Director was Derek Walters and the Accompanist was Barbara Young. The instrumental soloists were Derek Walters (piano) and Paul Baxter (organ). The Vote of Thanks was given by the minister at Lancaster Methodist Church, Rev. Juliette Wriglesworth. £380.00 was raised for the Charity.

   At the rehearsal on 27th October, an Extraordinary General Meeting was called to elevate Hugh Cutler from Vice-Chairman to Chairman. This meant that the position of Vice-Chairman had become vacant.

The Annual Christmas Concert was held at Lancaster Methodist Church on 1st December. The pupils of Slyne-with-Hest St. Luke's CE Primary School joined us once again, as, on this occasion, did The Regent Singers. The Mayor and Mayoress of Lancaster, Councillor Roger Sherlock and Mrs. Ethel Sherlock attended the concert. Once again, the children stole the show, although the Choir received very poor reviews regarding their performance. What the audience didn't appreciate (and probably didn't know) was that we had eight new voices in the Choir with only a few weeks to learn the songs. Nevertheless, everyone went away full of Christmas joy. £285.00 was raised for a Charity nominated by the school.

The Choir sang again in St. Nicholas Arcade in Lancaster on 10th December, this time to entertain the shoppers with Christmas Carols. The bucket collection amounted to £67.00 for Choir Funds.

The A.G.M. for 2010 was postponed from the usual first Tuesday in January of the New Year to 2nd February, so that an extra rehearsal could be held on 5th January in readiness for the Centenary Concert at the Town Hall on 29th January. In the event, this rehearsal was not held due to the worst snowfalls experienced in Lancaster (and, in fact, in the whole of the country) for many years. This set-back meant that the Choir had only three rehearsals before the concert.

The Centenary Concert, on the 29th January, was an outstanding success, musically. The age range of the participants, (eight decades!), and the range of music covered during the evening was vast, with a composition 'It's Oh! to be a Wild Wind' by Sir Edward Elgar, 'Polonaise in A Major' by Frederick Chopin, 'The Lost Chord' by Sir Arthur Sullivan, 'Any Dream Will Do' by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, 'With Cat-like Tread' from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan and music by many other composers including Irving Berlin, Johnny Dankworth, Bert Bacharach, and ending with all the choirs and audience singing William Blake & Hubert Parry's 'Jerusalem'. The organisation for the concert was a collaboration between the Town Hall and the Choir (notably Hugh Cutler & Roland Brooke). The participating organisations were :- The Regent Singers, a ladies choir, and The Rainbow Singers, both from Morecambe, pupils from St. Wilfrid's CE Primary School in Halton (Choir & Jazz Band), Ripley School Jazz Band, Colin Parsons, organist, and from The Ashton Hall Organ Restoration Fund, Philip Fawcett (piano), and our own Choir.
The stewarding duties (sale of tickets, programmes, etc.), were carried out by members of the 13th Lancaster Scouts. The Mayoral party included the Mayor & Mayoress of Lancaster, Councillor Roger Sherlock and Mrs. Ethel Sherlock ; the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lord Shuttleworth ; the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lady Shuttleworth ; the High Sheriff of Lancashire, Mrs. Suzie Reynolds ; Geraldine Smith, M.P. ; the Headteacher of Ripley St. Thomas School, Lancaster, Mrs. E. Nichols ; Irene Bell, President of The Lancaster and District Male Voice Choir ; and Norman Wilkinson, Vice-President of The Lancaster and District Male Voice Choir. The compere for the evening was Dr. Hugh Cutler, Chairman of the Choir. A financial statement from the Town Hall showed a disappointing overall profit from the evening of £88.00p

   At the A.G.M., in February, all the officers remained in office with the exceptions of Chas Matthews who took over as Secretary from Roger Masheder, and Jack Yates who became the new Minute Secretary. The position of Vice Chairman remained vacant. All members were issued with an up-to-date version of the General Rules of the Choir.

The Choir next performed in a concert in aid of Royal National Lifeboat Institution at the Lancaster Methodist Church on Saturday 27th February. This was in association with The Monday Meeting Point (an organisation within the church). In keeping with the nature of the the R.N.L.I., the Choir introduced a nautical flavour by singing four water-associated songs in the main programme, and using 'With Cat Like Tread' from Gilbet and Sullivan's 'The Pirates of Penzance' as an encore. The Vote of Thanks was given by Mr. Raymond Hirst of the R.N.L.I. The concert was well received by a very appreciative audience, with many favourable comments being expressed at the end of the evening. The sum of £317.50 was raised for the Charity.

Nazareth House in Lancaster held their Annual Fair on 5th June and the Choir were invited to entertain. This turned out to be an outside event and was not successful to the point of the Choir vowing never to give another outside concert!

The Annual Summer Concert at St. John's Church, Lancaster was next, this on 19th June. Alex Phillips could not accompany the Choir on this occasion due to examination committments at the University, so Barbara Young kindly stepped in to help out. The concert was an enjoyable event with many of the audience adding their congratulations at the close. The soloists were Roland Brooke who sang 'Tommy Lad' and 'When a maiden takes your Fancy' from the opera 'Il Seraglio' and Derek Walters who played his own arrangement of 'A Lancashire Folk-song Suite' on the key board. He was to have played 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' on the church organ but a malfunction of the organ stops, which produced a whining noise, made this impossible. A copy of the Choir booklet '100 years Not Out' was presented to Barbara Young as a token of our thanks and esteem at the rehearsal prior to the concert.

It was a pleasure to be invited back to St. Peter's Church, Quernmore on 10th September. Unfortunately, now that Alex Phillips has graduated, he has left the Choir and in spite of advertising in the Lancaster Guardian, the Choir were without an Accompanist. Barbara Young was unable to help out on this occasion, so Hugh Cutler took over the 'baton' and the M.D.,Derek Walters, accompanied on the keyboard. The guest soloist was Barbara O'Donnell from Heysham who sang 'I Dreamed a Dream' and 'Wishing you were somehow here again'. The other soloist was Derek Walters who played 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' demonstrating the unique feature of the church's two organs. The concert was a resounding success with Hugh Cutler excelling himself conducting the Choir.

Under the umbrella of the Lancaster Music Festival, the Choir sang in St. Nicholas Arcade in Lancaster on 9th October. Since the last concert, a new electronic keyboard had been purchased from a grant of £950.00 from the 'Grass Roots' organisation. This was a P155 Yamaha. The cost of the keyboard, stand and stool came to £970.00, leaving the Choir with only an extra £20.00 to find for a very impressive instrument. Once more the Choir were impressed by the acoustics as were the shoppers, judging by the generous amount of £70.04 which they put in the collecting buckets.

Our visit to Leighton Hall on 14th October was a huge success. We are grateful to our Patron, Lady Shuttleworth, for making the approach to Mrs. Suzie Reynolds, and to Suzie herself for allowing us to sing in this historic Hall. The invited guests consisted of Lady Shuttleworth, Patron of the Choir, Mr. Pendleton Campbell from London, Irene Bell, President of the Choir, and Vice-President of the Choir, Norman Wilkinson. David Morris M.P. had hoped to be present but at the last moment business in the House of Commons prevented his attendance. The soloists were Barbara O'Donnell from Heysham (Soprano) and Geoff Finney (a top tenor in the choir). Alex Phillips and Derek Walters played a violin/piano duet, and the Accompanist was Barbara Young. Wine and biscuits were served during the interval and we are indebted to Jill Brooke and Ruth Matthews for providing the scrumptious biscuits. Jill and her sister, Lynne Henderson, organised a highly successful Raffle. During the concert, Pendleton Campbell presented Suzie Reynolds with a copy of a music Encyclopaedia of which he and Derek Walters had been co-editors many years ago. Mrs. Reynolds invited the audience to look round all the rooms on the ground floor of the Hall during the interval if they so wished. Everyone left the Hall at the close of the concert saying that they had had a most enjoyable evening.

The concert at the Visitor Centre at Carnforth Railway Station was a new venue for the Choir. It turned out to be a very enjoyable and successful event. The acoustics are very good and while the maximum number for the audience is only 60, it was warm and comfortable. Once more the guest accompanist was Barbara Young and the vocal soloists were Barbara O'Donnell and Roland Brooke. Barbara sang 'Lover Come Back To Me' by Sigmund Romberg and 'Vilia' by Ross and Lehar. Roland sang 'The Garden Where The Praties Grow' by Johnny Patterson and 'A Bachelor Gay Am I' by Harris, Valentine & Tate. Derek Walters played themes from 'Brief Encounter' on the new keyboard. During the concert, a cheque for £150.00 was presented to Mr. Eric Wilkinson J.P., who is the County Volunteer for the Charity 'Help for Heroes' (North Lancashire). During his acceptance speech, he revealed that his father had sung with the Lancaster & District Male Voice Choir many years ago!

The final concert for the year was the Annual Christmas Concert at Lancaster Methodist Church on 7th December. As in the previous year, The Regent Singers and the pupils from Slyne-with-Hest St. Luke's CE Primary School joined the Choir in this festive event. The Mayor of Lancaster, Councillor Tony Wade and his daughter attended, but because of the inclement weather (lots of snow!!) our Patron was unable to get through to Lancaster. Everyone enjoyed the concert, with the children stealing the show (as usual!!!).

The A.G.M. for 2011 was held on Tuesday 12th January. All the officers retained their positions, the only vacant one being that of Accompanist, but at the following rehearsal, Shaun Pirttijarvi, (he of 'The Veg' at Cartmel Priory 2006), was appointed to this position.

At the beginning of February, notice was given that an Extraordinary General Meeting would be held on 29th March. At this meeting the 'Rules and Constitution' of the Choir were updated, with the title being reduced to just 'The Constitution'. There were only a few minor adjustments made to various points in the previous booklet.

Ian Barbour, now aged 91, and who had been a member of the Bass section for 32 years, gave notice that due to ill-health he was leaving the Choir. He was immediately asked to become a Vice-President, to which he agreed.

The first concert of the year was given at Nazareth House, Lancaster on 12th April. The Musical Director was Derek Walters and the accompanist was Shaun Pirttijarvi, making his first appearance with the Choir. As usual at Nazareth House, members of the Choir were made to feel very welcome by the appreciative residents. Derek Walters played 'The Entertainer' by Scott Joplin and Roland Brooke sang 'Tit Willow' from the 'Mikado' and 'The Sentry's Song' from 'Iolanthe'. The usual high quality refreshments were provided at the close of the concert.

    It had been decided that the Choir would help to celebrate the 100th birthday of our Vice-President, Norman Wilkinson, with a concert/buffet at Rowley Court, Lancaster, on 27th May. One hundred people, made up from choir members and their families, Norman's family, his many personal friends and numerous Masonic friends, were there to extend their best wishes to him in what was a most memorable and joyous occasion. Among the guests attending were the Mayoral party, consisting of the Mayor and Mayoress of Lancaster, Councillor Paul and Mrs Dee Woodruff ; Lady Shuttleworth, (Patron of the Choir) ; Mrs. Suzie Reynolds (of Leighton Hall) ; Irene Bell (President of the Choir) ; and Ian Barbour (Vice-President of the Choir). Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and the food at the buffet supper was superb, everyone remarking on the wonderful spread that TerriAnn Roe and her helpers produced. It was an enjoyable experience to have Brian Hayes-Jones and Barbara Young leading the Choir. They had been Conductor and Accompanist, respectively, for 25 of the 50 or so years that Norman had been a singing member of the Choir. We were also very pleased when past members of the Choir who were in the audience, along with Norman's stepson John Waud, accepted the invitation to join with the Choir for the three pieces which Brian conducted. The solo spots wre taken by Derek Walters and Roland Brooke, Derek played 'Andaluz' by Granados on the keyboard and Roland sang 'The Hippopotamus Song' and 'The Garden Where The Praties Grow'. Norman is a truly amazing man for 100years of age, and as a Vice-President still takes a very keen interest in all the Choir's activities.

On 21st June the Choir gave a concert at St. Peter's, the Parish Church of Leck, arranged for us by our Patron, Lady Shuttleworth.We were pleased to welcome Ann Wodeman as our guest soloist, who sang 'Che Faro' from 'Orpheus' by C.W. Gluck and 'The Sun Whose Rays' from the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta 'The Mikado'. Ann was accompanied on the keyboard by her husband Peter. Derek Walters and Roland Brooke were again the other soloists. Derek played Handel's 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' on the church organ and Roland sang 'How Great Thou Art' and 'When a maiden takes your Fancy' from Mozart's 'Il Seraglio'. The Choir sang extremely well and Lord Shuttlewoth was very gracious with his compliments at the close of the concert.

   Shortly afterwards, on 2nd July, a concert was given at St. John's Church, Lancaster, and again we had a guest soloist. This time it was Hazel Brown, a pupil at Lancaster Girls' Grammar School and at the age of 14 was already a very accomplished pianist. On the keyboard she played 'Song without Words No.2' by Mendelssohn and 'Valse in A Minor' by Chopin. On this occasion, Derek played his own arrangement of 'Adagio' from 'Concierto da Aranjuez' by Rodrigo on the keyboard. Roland sang 'Calon Lan' arranged by John Hughes and 'A Bachelor Gay Am I' by Harris and Valentine.The keyboad mentioned in these last two concerts has recently been purchased with money from a grant by the organisation 'Grass Roots'. As no one from the organisation could be present to be thanked publicly, so the Choir Chairman, Dr. Hugh Cutler, gave a Vote of Thanks on the Choir's behalf. This was the last concert before the summer break and, sadly, the last time that Shaun Pirttijarvi would appear as our Accompanist. Shaun commences a course at the University of Cumbria in the autumn, and the volume of work involved, meant that he could not commit the time necessary to play for the Choir. Again the Choir had to seek a new Accompanist.

On 29th July, it was with great sadness that we received the news that Eveline, the wife of our Vice-President Ian Barbour, had died in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary from the effects of a stroke she had suffered earlier in the month. The choir's heartfelt condolences were extended to Ian and to his sons Duncan and Neil and their families. The funeral service was held at the Lancaster & Morecambe Crematorium an the 11th August, and as a token of respect the Choir sang 'Calon Lan' and 'Goin' Home' during the service. A few weeks later, Ian decided to return to the Bass section of the Choir.

   Towards the end of the summer break, on 3rd September, the Choir were asked at very short notice to step in a cover for an act that had had to pull out of a charity concert in aid of 'Help for Heroes' at the Grand Theatre in Lancaster. This is a marvellous place in which to sing and even with a reduced number of members able to attend, the Choir sang very well with many compliments from members of the audience afterwards.

The next performance was at The Winter Gardens in Morecambe on 10th September. The inside still resembled a building site but the Choir gave a good account of themselves if the comments of the audience were anything to go by.

Another new venue on 29th September was at St. Paul's Church Centre in Lancaster. We sang for the Hala Thursday Club, and were made to feel very welcome. The Choir sang nine items and Roland Brooke sang I'll Walk Beside You'.

The concert at St. Oswald's Church in Warton on 15th October was arranged for us by a past member and Chairman, David Ross. It was good to meet up with David once again, and we thank him for organising what was a very enjoyable evening. The soloists on this occasion were Derek Walters who played 'Air and Variations' from 'The Harmonious Blacksmith' by G.F. Handel, Pip Riley, who sang 'Country Roads' by John Denver, Geoff Finney, who sang 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables and Roland Brooke, who sang 'The Garden Where the Praties Grow' and 'Ten Thousand Angels'.

Our second visit to Leighton Hall on 17th November was equably as successful as the previous year, particularly as our hostess, Suzie Reynolds, had graciously accepted our invitation to become Executive President to the Choir. Her zest for life is infectious and we welcome her 'aboard' the Choir.
The soloists at this concert were Alex Phillips, who played 'The Warsaw Concerto' by Richard Adinsell, on the grand piano and in the second half played his own composition 'Konzerstuck in A dur' on the violin, choir member Andrew Easton (tenor), who sang 'Panis Angelicus' by Cesar Franck, and Roland Brooke (baritone), who sang 'The Sentry's Song' from Iolanthe by Gilbert and Sullivan, and 'Tommy Lad' by Teschemacher / Margetson. Rangers from the Warton Scout Group acted as Stewards, helping with the Raffle Prize table, selling raffle tickets, collecting tickets and issueing programmes at the door, and directing members of the audience around the Hall. The Vote of Thanks was given by the Patron of the Choir Lady Shuttleworth, who was very pleased that the Choir had sung Derek Walters Male Voice arrangement of one of her compositions, 'And the greatest of these is Love'. The Musical Director, Derek Walters conducted and Barbara Young accompanied the Choir and the soloists.The Choir sang well and a very enjoyable time was had by all. Alex was outstanding on both the violin and the piano. A very talented young man.

On the following Sunday, 20th November, some of the members went to Nazareth house in Lancaster to entertain at a 90th birthday party for one of the residents, Eve Whitaker, at the request of her daughter, Mary. Sadly, Eve is blind and suffers from Alzheimer's, but she, her family, and the other residents thoroughly enjoyed the occasion, as did the Choir. Refreshments were served afterwards. On this occasion, because Derek Walters was unavailable, Stuart Birse, one of the students from the University of Cumbria, conducted and Robert Krug accompanied.

Another first for the Choir came next when we sang at the Farmers' Market in the Institute in Hornby on Saturday 6th November. Neither Derek nor Robert were able to be with us, so Hugh Cutler conducted and Alex Philips accompanied the Choir on the keyboard. The Institute would be an ideal place in which to hold a concer, and ideas were formulated regarding us appearing there sometime in 2012.

The Christmas Concert this year was given with the pupils of St. Wilfrid's CE Primary School in Halton on Tuesday 6th December. Rather than have to transport the children into Lancaster and conscious of the fact that they had to be in school the following morning, it was decided to hold the concert in the School Hall. The scholars were superb, and, as ever, stole the show! Special mention must go to one of them, Charlotte Connell, who sang the first verse of the opening carol, 'Once in Royal David's City', faultlessly. The enjoyment on their faces set the standard for the whole concert. The Mayoral party consisted of the Mayor and Mayoress of Lancaster, Councillor Paul and Mrs. Dee Woodruff ; Lady Shuttleworth, Patron of the Choir ; Vice-Presidents of the Choir, Norman Wilkinson & Ian Barbour ; Mrs. Mary Stoneham, Chair of School Governors ; and Mrs. Claire Weymouth, Headteacher of the school ; Refreshments were served during the interval and the raffle was drawn before the second half of the programme. (The Mayoress drew the raffle tickets and when the Mayor was one of the winners, some uncalled-for and uncomplimentary comments were expressed!!!!). Everyone went home having enjoyed a very pleasant evening.

The final performance of the year was singing Christmas Carols in the Arndale Centre in Morecambe on the 17th December. Again, the generosity of the shoppers put £87.86p in the collecting buckets for Choir Funds.

Since 1951, there have been five Presidents and fourteen Conductors of the Choir, and since 1991, £15,790.00 has been raised for various Charities in the Lancaster area.

Lancaster & District Male Voice Choir Registered Charity No. 1074435

Lancaster & District
Male Voice Choir
Registered Charity No. 1074435