How many male Welsh choristers can you fit in a Notting Hill Garden? We tried it - with the Brit Award nominated Fron Choir at our Elmgrove sheltered housing scheme, and it's about 60.
Emma and Suzy regularly visit Elmgrove sheltered scheme for older people to share stories and listen to music with residents. One of their favourite albums is by the Fron Choir (Opens in new window). In the hope that they might have some memorabilia to share with their biggest fans Emma contacted the them. The Welsh choir went one better and offered to come and sing!
The Land of My Fathers
So one beautiful sunny day in May, 60 choristers turned up to greet the waiting residents and Notting Hill staff before assembling in the sunny and secluded garden. The acoustics were fantastic and neighbours were peeking out of their windows as the choir performed songs included "You Raise Me Up", "The Banana Boat Song" (a traditional Trinidadian Calypso folk song) and a rousing rendition of the Welsh national anthem "Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (The Land Of My Fathers)".
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Babs Doran, Operations Manager for Notting Hill Home Support, said:
"The choir told us it was as important being at Elmgrove as at the Brits the night before. The staff felt that they had helped customers experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am so grateful to the volunteers and Fron Choir for making this happen."
Beryl works at Elmgrove and actually comes from the same part of Wales as the Fron Choir. She explained how thrilled residents were:
"All the customers are talking about the Fron Choir. They never thought they would see anything like that and said it was wonderful. I've put two framed photos the Fron Choir gave us on the wall in our main lounge and everyone is admiring them."
Many thanks to our dedicated volunteers and Home Support staff for organising the event, the Fron Choir and Helen (a resident at Elmgrove) who bought the album in the first place.