St Ives Community Choir News 2024
St. Erth Christmas Carols Concert
Our busy Christmas schedule continued on Sunday 8th December, when the choir took part in a combined carol service. This was in conjunction with the St. Erth concert band and was held at the Methodist Church in the village.
In the midst of Storm Darragh, it was wonderful to see so many people make the effort to attend. The choir sang four songs and there were also readings and the audience were encouraged to choose carols from the song sheets supplied. The band then played the music whilst everyone joined in with some hearty singing.
The afternoon was presented fabulously by Pastor Kenney Bassett, who at one point brought out his old gentleman puppet and told a joyous tale about the true meaning of Christmas. There were plenty of children present who we are sure enjoyed this. Us adults certainly did!
The Christmas trees around the inside of the church were beautifully decorated.
Refreshments were served at the end.
Report by: Tracy Stent
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
More photos in Gallery 2024 >>>
Nancledra School Winter Fest & St Ives British Legion
On Saturday 30th November the choir began its busy Christmas schedule by performing at Nancledra School's Winter Fest. The festival included lots of activities going on into the evening and the choir started the musical part of the occasion in the afternoon. This included singing festive songs on a stage on what was a rather chilly day.
Then on Monday we took great pleasure in performing at the Royal British Legion in St Ives. In our Christmas attire this was a fun evening enjoyed by everyone. We sang a variety of the songs that we had been practising along with some old favourites and traditional tunes. The highlight of the evening was a hilarious rendition of the 12 days of Christmas in which William encouraged the audience to participate in.
There was a serious side to the evening too in which we were reminded of the sacrifices made by our military over the years, and it was very emotive as everyone joined in with singing the naval hymn Eternal Father Strong to Save.
The choir would like to thank the RNA for their hospitality and much appreciated pasties afterwards.
Report by: Tracy Stent
Treliske Hospital
On Tuesday 19th November, members of the choir that could make it, attended The Headland Unit at Treliske hospital for a cheque presentation. This was for £900, a sum that was raised for the unit's "Boxes of Hope" scheme, at the choir's 20th anniversary special concert at the Fore Street Methodist Church in September. Thanks to the generosity of those in attendance that evening, the money raised funded 20 of these "Boxes of Hope".
All new patients undergoing treatment at the unit are presented with one of these boxes. They contain a variety of items including, Moogoo hand cream and other relieving toiletries, special bamboo socks to help with cold feet, sweets and chocolate, a bamboo toothbrush and other items to help patients during their cancer treatment journey.
After the cheque presentation photos, the choir sang four songs at the entrance to the unit, so that people receiving their chemotherapy could hear them singing, and which was hoped brought a bit of cheer to them all. It was an emotional experience for all the choir and was a real pleasure to meet some of the Headland Unit staff who are so compassionate and caring as they help those undergoing their own secret battles. God Bless them all.
Report by: Tracy Stent
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
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Trewartha Home, Carbis Bay
On Monday 18th November, 20 members of the choir attended Trewartha Care Home to sing to the residents and its staff.
A highly enjoyable morning of singing began with two of our favourites, With a Song and Rock a My Soul, the latter being a gospel type tune involving plenty of movement which warmed everyone up! Next up was the beautiful song, The White Rose, which includes some singing in Cornish, followed by the old catchy tune of Da Doo Ron Ron. William did ask the residents if there were any Rons in attendance of which there weren't any, but we still had fun attempting to show them all some moves, with some of the staff joining in.
Next up was a rendition of The Beatles song, Here comes the Sun written by George Harrison, which we hope brought a bit of cheer on a rather gloomy day outside! William then advised the next song is an old Cornish favourite, Proper Job, and asked the residents to sing along to those words. The soloist in part of this tune was Steve armed with pasty and Alan with a seagull. We did note it brought a lot of smiles and laughter to faces.
After a little breather, we slowed the tempo down to sing the old Mammas and Pappas tune, California Dreamin', and then in keeping with a slower tempo, the next song was The Beatles Yesterday. This song is still the most requested Beatles song to this day, and our soloist for this was Alan, who brought the rest of the choir in beautifully.
Then it was time to up the tempo by singing a gospel type song, Get on Board, in which it was great to see some of the staff rocking along with us, followed by It's a Grand Night for Singing, though William did remind the residents we were a bit early with this one seeing as it was the middle of the day! Then followed, All that Jazz, and again it was great to see others joining in with us.
By now, we had been performing for almost an hour, so it was time to wrap things up with one of our favourite songs, Like an Eagle. This is a song with a big emotive meaning and judging by the applause at the end, the residents and staff enjoyed listening to it as much as we enjoyed singing it.
The choir thanked everyone at the home for their warm welcome, encouragement and much appreciated refreshments at the end. It gave us great pleasure to bring some cheer and fun to the residents. The next day was also Alan’s birthday, and it was great to see residents joining us in singing Happy Birthday.
Report by: Tracy Stent
Last Night of the Proms
On Friday 4th October the St Ives Community Choir performed at St Anta Church in Carbis Bay for their annual Last Night of The Proms Concert. It was an evening of fun, laughter and music with proceeds going towards the charity St Petrocs, who do vital work for the homeless in Cornwall.
The evening started off with everyone taking part in singing the hymn We Are Marching in The Light of God. Following this the choir sang two songs; A Grand Night for Singing and With a Song.
Then the wonderful pianist/organist Derek Downes played a solo of Tchaikovsky's Introduction and Neapolitan Dance from Swan Lake. Next up was the choir singing California Dreamin and then the beautiful River in Judea.
Derek then treated everyone to a superb solo, again from Swan Lake -Waltz, with the choir then singing their final three songs in the programme, including Fields of Gold, a Beatles medley and the gospel tune Get on Board.
An interval then took place for a refreshments break, and for the raffle to be drawn which had been organised by the church members.
The second part of the evening contained communal songs with everyone joining in, which started off with I Vow to Thee My Country and then the rousing Jerusalem followed by Rule Britannia, in which plenty of patriotic flag waving took place. When it came to Land of Hope and Glory the choir marched around the Church a couple of times, flag waving and encouraging all to partake in the fun.
An evening of fun in Cornwall would not be the same without a rousing rendition of Trelawny which everyone seemed to enjoy. The Rev Etienne van Blerk of St Anta Church then rounded off the evening with a blessing and by thanking all those attending and the church members who had so finely decorated the church, produced the programmes and provided the refreshments.
The evening finished with all singing The National Anthem and then singing and linking of arms to Auld Lang Syne.
The choir would like to thank everyone that attended. There was an RNLI shanty singalong happening on the same evening in town, and we really appreciate those who came out to support us and we hope all the kind donations raised a significant amount for St Petrocs.
Report by: Tracy Stent
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
More photos in Gallery 2024 >>>
Choir Outing - The Tamar Cruise
Saturday 28th September
There’s one thing about Cornish weather- we can experience all 4 seasons in one week! This was certainly the case as we entered the final week of September and looked forward to our choir outing to the border of our beloved duchy.
Rain, Gale force wind and temperature that chilled the bones were experienced in the days leading up to our Saturday trip. The day arrived and so did the break in weather. Thankfully the ‘storm is passing over’ and ‘here comes the sun’ was the cheery welcome as we boarded the coach. Have you got your passports ‘and all that jazz’ was the banter. Our destination the Tamar was not quite the ‘River in Judea’ but travelling on the new bypass was a ‘proper job’ and we flew ‘ like an eagle’ along the way.
Sadly some of our group were not well enough to join us and we missed them.
River Tamar at Calstock
We stopped at Kernow Mills for a refreshment break and ‘mama Mia’ what a long time to queue for our food!
From a distance we saw the towers of the tamar bridge and we were to enter England’s green and pleasant land. Arriving at the Barbican it was time to ‘get on board’. Passing the dockyard we saw some of our nation’s redundant warships, submarines that once prowled the deep now lying dormant against the dockside. The normal choppy waters of the Hamoez gave way to calmer water as the flowing tide carried us up along the dividing line between our two nations to our destination of Calstock.
Passing swathes of Reed beds like ‘fields of gold’ and an old boat that looked like the African Queen from “Casablanca” we failed to sing ‘African Cantlcle’ but ‘the white Rose ‘ and ‘da doo Ron Ron’ brought smiles and applause from our fellow passengers.
A rendition ‘with a song’ on the quayside at Calstock and a smile for Bill’s camera and the choir were off exploring the intricate streets of the village, searching for the loo’s and a cup of tea (in that order). An hour soon passed and we were back to ‘get on board’ and return to Plymouth.
Still the day was not over. Fish and chips at The Welcome Stranger were devoured proving that ‘all you need is love’ as long as appetites are satiated. The final leg home was made in silence, reflecting on full stomachs and thankful that the weather was better than ‘Yesterday’.
Our grateful thanks to Maureen for all the arrangements made, ensuring the day went smoothly- a ‘proper job’ indeed.
Report by William Thomas
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
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20th Anniversary Concert during the September Festival
On Friday 20th September the St. Ives Community Choir performed a concert in celebration of their 20th anniversary at Fore Street Methodist Church in St Ives. This was a fundraising event with donations going towards the “Bags of Hope” charity based at the Headland Unit in Treliske Hospital.
For those not aware of the fabulous work that this charity undertakes, Vicky Taylor, Chairperson of the choir, explained to those attending. It is a charity with volunteers and members from the oncology team at the hospital who make up bags for every new patient attending their initial chemotherapy session in their battle against different cancers. Each bag contains various items that will help and support each patient, thus the name “Bags of Hope”. We thrilled and heartened to report that the sum of £765.25 was raised. The choir committee decided to make this up to £900 to cover the cost of 20 bags of hope.
So, onto the programme.
The choir started off by singing a trio of songs which included “A grand night for singing”, “With a song” and “Let music live”. All fine songs in their own right, which we hope set the programme up nicely for the evening.
Vicky then explained a bit about the history of the choir; how it was formed originally in 2004 by Katrina Geraghty; how the current musical director William Thomas took over in 2011 and that there are still members within the current choir who were part of the original group, including our accompanist, Alison Ashby, and how it now continues to flourish.
It was then time for William and his wife Tricia to take centre stage by performing the hauntingly beautiful duet “All I ask of you”, one of the songs from the musical play Phantom of the Opera.
The programme then continued with the choir singing their next three songs consisting of “Rock-a-my-soul”, a gospel tune which involves a bit of movement for the rusty old bones, the rather risqué “All that jazz”, and then the beautiful “Fields of gold”.
Vicky then went on to convey her thanks to all those that have helped with their various contributions. The choir performed their next trio of songs. The first one was a song called "Get on board” followed by the beautiful “River in Judea” which builds up to a stunning crescendo at the end. And the third in this trio of songs was “African Canticle” in which William lead taking the solo part and the choir follow with some Swahili words.
William then sang a solo (“Anthem”), a song from the musical Chess which he dedicated to the people of Ukraine.
The programme continued with the choir performing an old Mammas and Pappas classic, “California dreamin”. It was then time for the choir to sing a Beatles medley, with Steve and Alan singing solo in parts of Let it be and Yesterday respectively, with the big finish of “Hey Jude” in which William got the audience participating.
Sadly, the evening was coming to a close and it was time for our final song, “Like an eagle”. This is a particular favourite of the choir, with Vicky explaining beforehand that this song has such a special meaning with it being about those that have shown/led the way in many instances throughout life. On Friday evening it was sung in recognition of all those special and marvellous people at the Headlands Unit.
Members of the choir had prepared refreshments which were enjoyed by singers and spectators alike in the FSMC church hall afterwards.
We hope those that attended enjoyed themselves as much as we did. There was certainly some lovely feedback. It was fabulous to see so many in attendance, including those of all ages and a dog! And we would like to thank everyone for their generous and much appreciated donations to such a wonderful cause.
Our next performance is a Proms night on the 4th of October at St Anta Church in Carbis Bay, which will be another fun evening. Please come along, the more the merrier!
Report by: Tracy Stent
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
More photos in Gallery 2024 >>>
Our second Garden Party
6th July 2024
10am on Saturday 6th July and the first of the choir volunteers arrive to get everything ready for our 2nd Garden Party. Before setting out the chairs and tables we had to make a decision – inside or out! Even though the sky was blue we opted to hold the event indoors. This was a wise choice as twice during the afternoon it rained heavily.
A dozen people helped to organise the hall and kitchen ready for the concert, cream teas, cake and preserve stall and raffle. Finally, the tables were decorated, thanks Tricia and her hours of creativity. The table and wall decorations were lovely, enhancing the transformation of the room and much appreciated by so many people.
By 1.45pm choir members had arrived and the tables were slowly filling up with our audience. The cake and preserve stall - looked after by Lesley and Alison - was up and running with so many delicious goodies. Gill and her husband, Alan, were looking after the raffle and did a grand job! The raffle prizes were first class – meal vouchers, bottles of interesting tipples, photo albums, jewellery made by Rachel and one of Steve’s paintings.
Three young flower girls, Julia’s granddaughters, delighted both choir members and the audience as they sold the corsages made by Julia.
Anne B, Barbara, Mary, Annie, Ann S and Carolyn looked after the teas, coffees, cream teas, fruit salad and sandwiches, which were to be served later.
The choir, the men looking handsome and the ladies lovely in their summer finery, began the concert at 2.00pm with a medley of tunes from My Fair Lady. The soloists were Alan, Lynne and Michael L. Many people in the audience joined in singing the well-known songs. All that Jazz, Da Doo Ron Ron and Proper Job brought us to the interval. Steve was the soloist in Proper Job but the pasty and seagull were nowhere to be seen!
Refreshments - all provided by members of the choir - were served from 2.30 to 3.30pm. This gave an opportunity for choir members to chat with the audience – a real community gathering!
The second half of the concert began with Here Comes the Sun, providing a bit of hope given the rain outside! With each song that followed you could see the joy and smiles on the faces of our audience, many of them joining in when they knew the words. Singing White Rose, with verses in Cornish and English brought our concert to a close. This was followed by the raffle ticket draw and saying our ‘goodbyes’ to the lovely, appreciative people who shared the afternoon with us.
Many thanks go to William, Alison, Lynda, Tricia, Maureen and all the other members of the choir. Everyone worked together and that teamwork helped to make our indoor Garden Party a huge success.
Report by: Vicky Taylor
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
More photos in Gallery 2024 >>>
Trewartha House Carbis Bay informal afternoon concert
On Monday 24th June some members of the choir sang for the residents of Trewartha residential home.
They sang a variety of songs which included the Cornish Hail to the Homeland and The White Rose, including a couple of verses which were sung in Cornish. Keeping to the Cornish vibe, the rendition of Proper Job seemed to go down well, especially with Steve's Cornish pasty and Alan's seagull bringing smiles to some of the residents' faces.
Our version of Here Comes the Sun also went down well and it was a real pleasure to be invited along to sing for the residents, and we hope we helped to brighten up their afternoon. The choir would like to thank the staff at Trewartha for their warm welcome and for their kind supply of refreshments.
Report by: Tracy Stent
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
More photos in Gallery 2024 >>>
Redruth Combined Concert
Friday 21st June
On Friday 21st June, the choir took part in a concert at the former Redruth Wesleyan Methodist Church. Six years ago, the Cornwall Centre For Culture and The Arts CIC was founded with a clear vision: To safeguard, honour, and revitalize our cherished heritage site, benefiting all Redruth residents. The concert was in conjunction with the choir of the Mounts Bay Singers.
The St Ives Community Choir started off the evening's singing with a medley of songs which included With a Song and Let Music Live, which we hoped were relevant for the concert, which was of course an evening to celebrate music. The last song in this trio of melodies was the gospel tune, Rock a My Soul, which included a bit of movement by the choir, and which we hope covered the creaking bones of some of us in our attempts to jig our moves!
The Mounts Bay Singers then took over with some beautiful singing, following the lead of Lois, their marvellous choir conductress, and then it was time for us to perform our second trio of songs. The first one was from the musical Chicago, All that Jazz, with the lyrics, slick your hair, and shimmy shaking of garters. William did pre warn the lovely audience of some rather risqué words to follow! We then had a change of tempo with our next song, the Beatles beautiful Yesterday, in which our webmaster, Alan, led us in with his solo, and the last song of this second trilogy was another Beatles favourite, Here comes the sun ☀️ It might well have been more appropriate to change the lyrics to here comes the rain, such had been the downpours during the day but we hope we brought a smile to the faces of those who were there.
It was then interval time, when much needed refreshments could be purchased and then it was time for The Mounts Bay Singers to perform their second section of songs which included a couple of lovely love songs. Before we knew it the time had come round for us to perform our third and final trio of songs.
The first was a golden oldie that is well known from the 60's, California Dreamin, which was in the old pop parade charts, sung by The Mammas and Pappas. Our second tune is one that we have just rehearsed in recent weeks called Get on board little children, a gospel song which is about a train coming and requires a build up towards the end of it. It's become a favourite for many of us and we hope the audience enjoyed hearing it as much as we enjoyed singing it.
Our final song of the night was an incredibly emotive song, Like an Eagle. Again, this is a favourite of many of the choir members. And big thanks has to go to William for the way he leads and builds us up, and into, this utterly beautiful song.
The Mounts Bay Singers finished off the musical evening by performing a hauntingly beautiful version of Danny Boy, before ending with a couple of melodies that had been written specifically for them.
We hope that those present enjoyed the occasion as much as we did and would like to thank everyone for coming out on a rainy night. We also hope that a good amount of funds were raised on the night for the church, and our thanks for hosting us.
Report by Tracy Stent
More photos in Gallery 2024 >>>
St Ives May Day Celebrations
Monday 6th May
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
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Presentation of Cheque
Tuesday 23rd April practice
Lisa Shepard, Clinical Lead at St Julia's Hospice, was presented with a cheque for £450.00 at the start of the choir practice. Choir member, Helen Jeyes, recently received recuprative care at the hospice. The choir felt it only fitting that the donation, collected from concerts at Becks' Fish & Chips Restuarant, West Cornwall Golf Club and UNA Carbis Bay, should go specifically to this hospice within Cornwall Hospice Care.
The choir received this letter from Cornwall Hospice Care
Dear St Community Choir
Thank you! It is because of your kindness and generosity that we are able to provide peace, comfort and calm across Cornwall when someone is nearing the end of their life. Enabling us to support families through one of life's most difficult times, making every day matter.
Your gift of £450.00 is most graciously received. Your support is making a huge difference each and every day, so on behalf of our patients, I cannot thank you enough.
Our care is 100% free but funded by you. Thank you for funding the care we give.
Yours sincerely
Kelly Tregaskes
Community Fundraiser - East
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
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Presentation of Cheques
Tuesday 28th February practice
Cheques were presented for three charities at the beginning of the choir practice. Macmillan Cancer Support, Alzheimer's Society, with Sue Hooper receiving the cheque and Prostate Cancer Research were each awarded a cheque for £200. The total of £600 was raised from two events; the choir's Christmas social on Tuesday 12th December and the final concert of the year, "Sounds of Christmas", at Carbis Bay Memorial Hall on Saturday 30th December 2023.
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
More photos in Gallery 2024 >>>
Hayle Day Care Centre Concert
Monday 29th January
Our first event of 2024 was held at Hayle Day Care Centre on Monday 29th January. Sixteen members of the choir provided the entertainment for a very appreciative audience.
William Thomas, our MD, put together a varied programme, giving people the opportunity to join in with the songs that they knew. Our audience was also quick to learn the ‘hand jive’ movements for ‘Da Do Ron Ron’.
Steve Bassett was the soloist in a Cornish song called ‘Proper Job’. Steve also held the pasty aloft and out of reach of the seagull, which was knitted by Lynda and controlled by Alan Thomas. Alan was our other soloist, leading the choir into singing ‘Yesterday’.
It was a lovely start to our 20th anniversary year and heart-warming to see the smiles on the faces of so many people.
Presentation Cheque to Cornwall Air Ambulance
Tuesday 16th January
The first practice of the new year began with a short speech of thanks for the generous gift of £300.00 towards the work of the Cornwall Air Ambulance from charity representative Barbara Corbett. The money was raised from donations at the very successful first Memorial Gardens Garden Party. The choir sang to an enthusiastic audience who enjoyed the stalls and the refreshments on a pleasant summer day in July last year.
Photo courtesy of Bill Thomas
More photos in Gallery 2024 >>>
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