Welcome to the second edition of Ashington Vocal, the newsletter of Ashington & District Male Voice Choir.
The newsletter, which will normally be produced quarterly, is aimed at keeping the community and stakeholders better informed about what is going on or will be happening in the Choir. You will automatically receive future editions, unless you opt out.
Each newsletter will also be posted in a sub-section under ‘News’ on the Choir website, https://www.ashingtonmalevoicechoir.org.uk.
 Great Autumn Programme is in the Pipeline
– The Choir has a busy programme organised for this Autumn.
On Friday, 20.09.2024, the Choir will be making two short performances in the ground floor entrance foyer of Asda in Ashington from 1.00pm. We will be supporting the Wansbeck Valley Foodbank on the day, and we hope that this will lead to a closer working relationship with the charity.
October will see the Choir performing two key events in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. On Sunday, 20.10.2024, the Choir will perform our charity concert, ‘Remembering Local Heroes’ with Susan Robertson as our guest artist at St. Bartholomew’s Church. Tickets are just about ‘sold out’! On the following Friday, 25.10.2024, we will be supporting Ashington and Newbiggin-by-the Sea Town Councils when we make two performances at The Maritime Centre. This will support the visit by civic twinning delegates from the City of Remscheid.
On Friday, 15.11.2024, the Choir will be performing at the Annual Charity Concert at County Hall in Morpeth.
 Supporting Community Events – The Choir is pleased to be able to support the community at events which can be fitted into their busy concert programme.
Some members of the Choir took part in the Ashington Town Fair on Sunday, 07.07.2024 and the Hirst Welfare Summer Fair on Saturday, 03.08.2024. The Choir attended to ‘meet and greet’ the community and encourage new members to join.
As indicated above, the Choir will be singing in the entrance foyer of Asda in Ashington on Friday, 20.09.2024. Why don’t you pop along and see us!
 Civic Head visits the Choir – Choir members, in their new blue polo shirts, were delighted to welcome the Civic Head of Ashington Town Council to their special rehearsal on Thursday, 08.08.2024. Councillor Caroline Ball was pleased to come along to formally present a cheque for £2,000 awarded to the Choir.
The grant is a great boost and will help the Choir to deliver more community-focussed events in #ashington, purchase new pr material to help attract more new members and promote the Choir, purchase new music to expand our repertoire in 2025 and provide musical training for members.
This was the second evening of a series of training events which the members have been taking part in to get a better understanding of musical arrangement and terminology. They were mixed with some fun music singing experiences.
The third session, accompanied by bass member, Revd. Ian Hennebry, involved a great, non-stop sing-along to music from over the last 80 years.
 A Big Thank You to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea – The Choir has been working hard at strengthening its links with key stakeholders as we continue to raise our profile, strengthen links with the community, identify new opportunities and hopefully secure new members.
We were delighted to receive confirmation of a grant award of £300 from Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Town Council Council. This grant will allow us to expand our future programme of community-based activities in the town.
 Recognising Our Rich Heritage - For those of you who regularly follow our Facebook page or try to keep up with website, you will have seen that there have been some developments on the Choir’s History.
The Choir is steeped in heritage and there are lots of facts and information to share. Already some of the posts are attracting attention and interest from our many followers, which are now over 550 on Facebook. Hopefully, this will help us in our continued efforts to promote the Choir and recruit new members.
17 double-sided information sheets have been produced to date about the Choir’s history over the last 50 years.
Two new sections have been created on the website to share the information with our followers and the public. You can find ‘Heritage Reviews’ under ‘About Us’ and ‘Concert Reviews’ under ‘Concerts’.
 Proud to Support the People of Northwest Germany – Did you know that the Choir has performed twice in Germany in Schalksmuhle and had very strong links with The Dahlerbruck Choir? The German choir also visited Ashington under twinning arrangement with the former Wansbeck District Council.
A very strong twinning partnership existed between Ashington and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and the City of Remscheid. Civic delegates from Remscheid will be visiting the region in late October and the Choir is delighted to be performing at The Maritime Centre in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea at a community event to celebrate this visit.
Ashington and the people of Southeast Northumberland will always be grateful for the support provided by the people of Remscheid during the Miners’ Strike.
Singing can be so Beneficial and Rewarding to You – The members of the Choir enjoy meeting up on a Thursday evening for rehearsals. It is not just for the singing but a great social interaction and fun! They must be enjoying this experience as many of them gave up their normal summer break to come along to some extra training sessions but also some fun singing.
Singing in a choir can have many benefits for you:
• It can release or improve your singing skills,
• It can build your self-confidence and release emotions,
• It can generally improve your wellbeing and research indicates benefits for mental health,
• It can be a great way to meet new friends and enjoy a new social experience,
• It can also be great fun and develop your teamwork skills.
If you or anyone you know might be interested in joining Ashington & District Male Voice Choir, then it is worth coming along to one of our rehearsals. You will be made very welcome. We meet at Stakeford & Bomarsund Sports and Welfare Centre, Choppington, Northumberland, NE62 5UB on Thursday evenings between 7pm and 9pm.
 Members enjoy Resource Area – Choir members do not just have the benefit of accessing all the latest news, information and music on their website, but they now have their own members area.
Members of the Choir can now access a lot more information securely. They can now gain access to training material, backing tracks, as well as a lot more supporting resources.
Christmas Dates Confirmed – The Choir has confirmed its programme of concerts and events for this year’s festive period.
On Thursday, 28.11.2024, the Choir will be performing at the YMCA in Ashington as part of this year’s Christmas Lights Switch On Ceremony.
The Annual Concert will be held at St. Cuthbert’s Church, Bedlington on 14.12.2024 at 3.00pm. This will be followed by a Christmas Concert at St. Mary’s Church, Morpeth on Saturday, 21.12.2024 at 3.00pm.
Kevin Lillie
Public Relations and Stakeholder Officer
Ashington & District Male Voice Choir
September 2024
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Forthcoming Events
Friday 14 Feb 25 7:00 pm
Charity Musical Evening
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Supporting 'Brighter Storey for All' and 'Newbiggin RNLI'
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Venue: Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Sports and Community Hub
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More details...
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Saturday 8 Mar 25 7:00 pm
Community Concert
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(Provisional)
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Venue: Druridge Bay Community Centre, Hadston, Northuumberland, NE65 9YF
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Saturday 10 May 25 7:00 pm
Music Festival
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(Provisional with Gilpin Singers)
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Venue: St. Michael & All Angels, Church Street, Houghton le Spring, DH4 4DN
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Saturday 17 May 25 7:00 pm
Annual Concert
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Details to be confirmed
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Venue: St. John's Church, North Seaton
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Saturday 5 Jul 25 11:00 am
Summer Concerts at Beamish Museum
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The Choir will allso be singing between 2 and 3pm
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Venue: Hetton Silver Band Hall
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Saturday 13 Dec 25
Christmas Concert
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(To be confirmed)
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Venue: St. Cuthbert's Church, Church Lane, Bedlington, NE22 5EL
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