Well, we did it! Our first outing was a great success. Many thanks to Southfield School for letting us use their car park while we were in Sheffield. Many of the ladies had travelled quite a distance so were very pleased to be able to leave their cars overnight in a safe environment. We boarded our Theobald’s coach and made it to the lunch stop at The Angel, Spinkwell, in plenty of time to enjoy the delicious lunch before going on to the Jury’s Inn in Sheffield city centre, just five minutes walk from the concert venue. We had a small but appreciative audience, but the Sheffield Socialist Choir who were in the audience for the first half were very enthusiastic! They opened the second half with songs written by their conductor, including The Fracking Song, words set to the tune of The Laughing Policeman. It had the audience in stitches, but in spite of its humour it gave out a sincere message. An ‘afterglow’ party, with lots of good hospitality, ended a successful evening, with £200 being added to the funds of Chilypep. We finished the visit with an impromptu rendition of You Raise Me Up in the hotel foyer – much to the amazement of the other guests, but principally for Margaret’s brother, Andy, who was our Sheffield host. In all, a delightful experience, giving us a real chance to socialise with each other on a different level. Let’s hope it’s the first of many!
On 15 September we sang for Luton Christian Fellowship in aid of a charity which enables local people in many African countries, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana to name a few, to work together and be able to start co-operatives. We sang to a very friendly and responsive audience and hope that they have made a good amount for this worthwhile charity.
A recent venture was to sing in the beautiful St. Albans Abbey for a wedding. A small group sang Amazing Grace during Communion and Ave Maria while the happy couple signed the register. We have had many compliments on our singing, saying how much it added to the service. If you would like us to sing at a wedding, please look through the website for more information.
