2015
8th March: WAGS Away Day
This was our first ‘away day’ we took over The Old Mill Centre in Skeeby for the day and were joined by two amazing musicians who put us through our paces learning some new gospel songs. Alex and Catherine did a fantastic job and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day.
9th May: Northallerton Methodist Church 150th Anniversary
We were invited to perform at Northallerton Methodist Church as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations. The organisers kindly said that we could donate the proceeds to a charity of our choice. We try to support one charity a year (in addition to raising funds for the choir) and this year we chose Fun With Autism. A Northallerton based charity that offers support to families of children who have a hidden disability such as autism, ADHD etc. A choir member suggested it, as the charity has been a huge support to her family. We had a great evening and it contributed to us being able to present Fun With Autism with a cheque for £590 later in the year.
27th June: Joint Concert with Worrall & Bolsterstone Male Voice Choirs
Organised by the members of Worrall Male Voice Choir to mark Armed Forces Day this concert was to raise money for Help for Heroes. The Victoria Hall in Sheffield was a great venue and it was fantastic to see it full to the rafters. We were even joined by a Guide Dog puppy in training whose trainer heard us as she walked past and thought it would be a good opportunity to expose the pup to live music! The choirs enjoyed the evening so much that the finished off by an impromptu concert to each other when the audience had gone!
16th July: Strawberries & Song
Following the success of last year’s Strawberries and Song concert at the end of the summer term, we decided to repeat it again this year. The Mayor of Richmond kindly allowed us to use the Town Hall again and we were thrilled to see lots of familiar faces joining us as well as some new ones! It was a lovely end to the term.
26th September: Women’s Institute Centenary Concert
The Xcel Centre in Newton Aycliffe was filled to bursting with members of the Women’s Institute (and their families) to celebrate the WI reaching the grand old age of 100! Local news editor from the Northern Echo, Peter Barron, was compere for the evening, which got off to a great start with a rousing rendition of the WI’s anthem, Jerusalem. Also performing local children's choirs Shine and Revolution, who were both magnificent and it was great to be able to join forces with them at the end of the evening.
27th November: Magic Moments Racing Awards Dinner
This annual dinner and awards night celebrates horse racing in the North East. We were invited not only to perform for guests but also to join them for dinner, which was a lovely treat for the ladies although there was a moment of panic when Carol said that we would be performing before dessert and then going straight home, we couldn’t miss dessert! Fortunately the hotel brought it to our green room so we didn’t miss out! A charity auction gave guests the opportunity to bid for a chance to look around Phoenix House Recovery centre and be hosted by choir members before being guests of honour at our annual Christmas Concert in the Garrison and we were delighted that this raised lots of money for the charities.
17th December: Christmas Carol Concert, Garrison Church
2015 saw the return of our popular Christmas Carol concert after after an absence in 2014! Once again the church was packed with those wanting to start the Christmas season in style. The choir always thoroughly enjoys this concert, as it is an opportunity to perform to family, friends and colleagues. The Alto section took on the task of decorating the church and did a fantastic job, it looked beautiful. The community singing certainly got us all in the Christmas spirit too!