Any trip out of County with a large number of travellers takes a deal of organisation and the Choir is fortunate indeed to have Chairman Peggy who excels at such matters. There is the travel and transport, the accommodation, the concerts and, most importantly, the recreation and leisure time!

The organisation was impeccable and there was no hint of difficulties until we met traffic on the M5 … static traffic that is. This meant a one and a half hour delay, a less than leisurely lunch and a very condensed rehearsal with Nigel, our accompanist for the first concert. The coach driver took us on a most interesting route into Bristol – at one time we thought we were going via London – but we did eventually get to our lovely hotel in time to change and have dinner before it was time to retrace our steps to St Mary’s Clevedon.

The concert was a great success, enjoyed by performers and audience alike and we were treated to some refreshments afterwards – yes, alcohol was involved and we travelled back to Bristol with a warm glow.

We were able to have a leisurely breakfast and then most people opted to join the excursion to Bath whilst some did retail therapy ( the shopping experience in Bristol is highly recommended ) or had a quiet stroll. After an early dinner we departed for the nearby village of Long Ashton where our team of “keyboard shifters and putter-togetherers” sprang into action. Choir members acquainted themselves with the layout and acoustic of the church which is both beautiful and peaceful – that is if you could ignore the persistent strains of a nearby rock concert!

The joy of this particular concert was working once more with our young friends The Beatroots

They are consummate musicians, lively, confident performers and genuinely warm people – it was a pleasure to share a concert with them once more and we are really grateful that they made the journey to be with us.

Refreshments were again provided and it was lovely to share some downtime with the performers, audience and the loyal choir supporters who were travelling with us. For some this was a late night compensated for by a late and leisurely Sunday morning breakfast. On the way back to Cornwall we stopped off at the National Trust property Tyntesfield and had several hours in the glorious gardens enhanced by glorious sunshine. Luckily the journey home was without incident and we all got home safely. This year’s Choir Tour was as successful and memorable as all the others and, as we approach our 50th anniversary celebrations, who knows what adventures the future will bring?

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A note about the video above

This song is a departure from our usual repertoire in that is has a band backing track. The ladies feel that the words of the song “Together” from the musical Gypsy encapsulate the feeling within the choir that we are always there for each other during challenging times and so it has been for the past 50 years. Strong, supportive, encouraging, caring.

No fits, no fights, no feuds and no egos

Amigos

Together.

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