OUR
CHOIR SINGING IN OLD TOWN SQUARE
PRAGUE
- TRIP INSPIRED BY GARETH MALONE'S
CHOIR TRIP TO CHINA
Supporting Vital Charities
You can choose
which charity you wish us to
support:
Woking Hospice
Sam Beare Hospice Weybridge
Elmbridge Community Link
The Counselling Partnership
Elmbridge Choir (Creating more money
for other charities)
BBC
Series 'The Choir' Inspires Numbers In
Elmbridge Community Choir To Grow
2 years ago I realised that I was in a rut
and not having a lot of fun. Life seemed to
be all about going to work and paying the
bills, but I didn't feel part of the
community.
I took the decision to join the local
community choir, and have had a great time.
Every week I look forward to meeting up with
other people and singing anything from Pop &
Gospel to Music from West End Shows
We get a great buzz out of doing concerts
and our choir has raised £43,000 for
charities. What a great way to do so much
good, helping others while having fun. It
also brings families together, my parents
and friends have come along to concerts and
really enjoyed themselves.
Inspired by the first series of 'The
Choir' on BBC where Gareth Malone took a
choir to China, our choir went to Prague
last Christmas and took part in an
international Choir Festival, singing in the
Old Town Square
This might have been daunting, since other
choirs there were the standard of 'World
Choir Championships' but our Choir Leader
explained we were a Community Choir and
everyone was welcome of any standard (no
auditions) - that we sing for the enjoyment.
Although not being technically as good as
the other choirs, the audience loved us and
we received a rapturous applause. The leader
of the choir from Portugal which followed us
made an announcement 'how can we follow
that?"
The choir had grown to over 120 members in 3
years and it was remarkable that despite
work commitments we had 100 members who came
to Prague.
The second series of The Choir - 'Boys
Don't Sing' is something else I can
relate to. I hadn't really sung for 40
years. Stopping singing happened when I went
to secondary school and nobody dares sing in
assembly. Then your voice breaks and you
don't have the vocal range you used to.
There are no longer the opportunities and
you lose confidence.
When I first joined our choir I was the 5th
tenor and there were about 4 basses. So the
men were in a distinct minority and there
was a risk of us having to try too hard to
make ourselves heard. But I think Gareth's
programme made a number of men realise that
they were missing out on the fun and by
capping the ladies numbers, the men's
sections have steadily grown to a point
where the 'wall of sound' is well balanced
between the 5 voice parts (2 soprano, alto,
tenor & bass).
The popularity of the choir and the cap on
ladies numbers led to a large waiting list
of ladies, so a ladies choir was formed from
this waiting list. In a few months the new
ladies choir has grown to 90 and is now
full.
Next followed a Community Big Band - this
launched in September 2009 and was full by
the end of October 09 with 45 musicians.
In parallel with this was the 3rd series of
'BBC's The Choir - Unsung Town'. This
was very much something that our choir
members could relate to, since Gareth's
adventure paralleled the formation of our
own Community Choir.
In Gareth's South Oxhey Choir there was a
lovely gentleman who had recently lost his
wife and singing in the new community choir
brought him so much joy and companionship. A
year earlier, my neighbour lost her husband
to cancer and I persuaded her to come along
to our community choir. it brought her so
much joy, singing in her own home practicing
as well as the companionship of the
rehearsals and concerts.
The South Oxhey Choir performed the same
arrangements of some of the songs we sing,
including 'Hallelujah'. When you hear a
choir of 100 plus, it's a magical experience
to take part or to be in the audience - it
really can make the hairs on the back of
your neck stand up.
We had a big outdoor concert where our
multiple choirs performed separately and
together in the summer, just like at South
Oxhey, Hertfordshire.
We are now all practicing for the Big
Christmas Concert.
Another development has been a Children's
Music Society and plans in the future are
likely to include children's choir and youth
choir.
So just in case I've left you in any doubt,
joining the local choir has been great fun -
and life changing. Maybe you've seen 'The
Choir' but haven't really done anything
about joining in.
Well please don't put it off - you can be on
the sidelines watching people have fun, or
you can join in and have fun yourself!
The painting based on our choir in concert
is one of a set of Charity Christmas
Cards or seasonal Greetings Cards
We are supporting 5 very worthwhile local
charities, including Woking Hospice & Sam
Beare Hospice in Weybridge.
The hospices are running an emergency appeal
since they have had to close day care
facilities due to financial difficulties.
Choir In Concert -
Christmas Cards / Seasonal Greetings Cards
To order
cards, select
the charity you wish us
to support
Only £4 including Charity Contribution - UK
Addresses
Art: Pack contains 10 Cards of the Painting '
Choral Group'
10 Cards with Envelopes. Card
size: A6 (148mm x 105mm)
The cards are
blank inside, so you can use them as
Christmas Cards or as Seasonal Greetings
Cards or Notelets (for example as Thank You
cards).
To view large pictures of
these cards, see the animation at top of this
page
The 'Choir In Concert' Card
is one of a set.
The animation on the left shows the 5 cards in
this collection, which are available as a mixed
set or a pack of a single design.
To order any
of these cards, please see the options for the
sets below.
Mixed Pack of 10
Christmas Cards / Seasonal Greetings Cards
To order
cards, select
the charity you wish us
to support
Only £4 including Charity Contribution - UK
Addresses
Art:
Mixed pack contains 2 of each the 5 designs
10 Cards with Envelopes. Card
size: A6 (148mm x 105mm)
The cards are
blank inside, so you can use them as
Christmas Cards or as Seasonal Greetings
Cards or Notelets (for example as Thank You
cards).
To view large pictures of
these cards, see the animation at top of this
page
*
Charity donation of 10% of profits on cards
sold, plus additional support worth another
40%.
The following links are for
direct donations to the Charities (official websites) for
anyone who wishes to give further help. They are unrelated to the contribution we make for
purchases of the Christmas Cards & Greetings Cards
Our Hospices in Woking and
Weybridge are here today because in Woking the local
community spent five years raising money for one to be
built.
In Weybridge the community fought
hard to ensure that Sam Beare Hospice continued to offer a
palliative care service to the people of North Surrey.
As demand for the expert
specialist care we provide reaches an all time high, our
income has been hit by economic pressures way beyond our
control.
On 9th October 2009 day care
facilities at both Hospices were suspended at both Hospices.
All other care services will continue and the hospices will
still carry out procedures to day care patients such as
blood transfusions and administering intravenous medication.
Woking & Sam Beare Hospices have
now launched an emergency appeal to raise £2.4million in 12
months.
It is an enormous amount of money
in very little time. The desperate reality is that we need
to raise the first £600,000 by the end of December 2009 to
ensure we do not have to suspend any more vital services and
also safeguard other aspects of our work.
Please can you do what you can to
help us to provide the vital service in these difficult
economic times?
The beacon of light that hospice
care gives to those who are going through far darker days
cannot and must not be allowed to go out.
Every pound helps. Please
donate whatever you can.
The following links are for
direct donations to the Charities (official websites) for
anyone who wishes to give further help. They are unrelated to the contribution we make for
purchases of the Christmas Cards & Greetings Cards
Woking Hospice
Registered charity number 1082798 Woking Hospice was opened in 1996 to provide palliative care &
support for patients & their families living in central Surrey.
The Hospice is situated in Hill View Road on the edge of the town of
Woking Surrey.
Sam
Beare Hospice Registered
charity number 1115439 Based in
Weybridge Hospital, the Sam Beare Hospice re-opened in 2006 under
the management of Woking Hospice and provides palliative care and
support to the residents of North Surrey.
The
Woking & Sam Beare Hospices respond to the needs of each individual,
helping people achieve the best possible quality of life. Hospice
care is based on the belief that each person is more than their
illness, and that each of us has unique physical, emotional, social
and spiritual needs.
Elmbridge Community
Link Registered
charity number
1035501
Elmbridge Community Link received the coveted Queens Award for
Voluntary Service in July 2009 from Mrs Sarah Goad JP, Her Majesty's
Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey. This is the highest honour that can be
bestowed upon groups of this kind and is the equivalent in status to
the MBE.
Elmbridge Community Link support people with learning difficulties
and their members come from all over Elmbridge. Drop-in Coffee
mornings, music, cooking, soft indoor sports, arts and craft,
befriending and advocacy are some of the many ways that the
organisation supports it's members with the aim of developing new
skills and gaining self esteem and confidence in their own chosen
pursuits.
Based
at Walton Methodist Church in Terrace Road, Walton on Thames where
Elmbridge Community Link operates with only three part time staff
and an army of excellent volunteers. These enthusiastic and
incredibly supportive people strive to improve the life of their
members.
The Counselling
Partnership Registered
charity number 1076244
The Charity does amazing work in the community every week when 26
volunteer counsellors see up to three clients each; up to 78 people
able to talk about debilitating issues that can be as varied as
depression, exclusion, unemployment, domestic violence, rape,
terminal illness......
As no one is turned away, and each pay what they can afford, in the
present economic climate this is putting more pressure on our meagre
funds. Over 2000 people have been referred since the Charity started
in 2002.
This is 78 people a week able to talk about debilitating issues;
seeing one person normally means that this has a positive knock -on
effect with their family, friends and wider community.
The region covered by The Counselling Partnership is Elmbridge &
surrounding areas. Up until the end of last year we had lottery
funding to cover our administration, but this has now ceased.
This Charity was previously known as
North Surrey Community Counselling Partnership
Elmbridge Choir is a non-auditioned Community Choir
based in Cobham Surrey.
The mixed choir formed in 2005 has grown to over 120
members, performs about 5 concerts a year.
In March 2009 the Elmbridge Ladies Choir was formed due
to the level of demand from ladies to join the choir. The
Ladies choir has grown to almost 60 members and in mid-July
2009 held their first peformance at the Molesey Amateur
Regatta to a sell-out audience of over 200!
The latest development is the Elmbridge Community Big
Band which was launched in September 2009. So the joy of
music making continues to grow, bringing the community
together and doing a lot of good in the process!
As a result of the diversification, the Choirs and Big
Band will be known collectively as 'Elmbridge Music'.
Elmbridge Choir
Registered charity number 1129321
Supporting a choir might seem a strange choice at a time when so
many other charities are struggling for funds.
However, over the last 4 years the Elmbridge Choirs have raised in
excess of £43,000 for very worthwhile charities in and around
Surrey. So finance to help a fundraising organisation indirectly
helps other charities, with a multiplier effect.
Additionally, modern society is rapidly losing a sense of community.
Elmbridge Choir brings people together and offers many members
something to look forward to each week, plus the joy of concerts for
their family and friends, while at the same time raising funds for
charities.
Some
members have found the choir great comfort, when experiencing
difficulties in their private lives including situations such as
family illness, bereavement and loneliness.
Charities
benefitting from a share of the £43,000 from Elmbridge Choirs
include;
FSID (The Foundation
for the Study of Infant Deaths)
The Shooting Star
Children’s Hospice
Walton Firs (Mayor Of
Elmbridge's Charity Appeal)
The Royal Marsden
Cancer Campaign
Combat Stress
Force's Children's
Trust
The Mayor Of
Kingston's Charity Appeal
Walton Blind Society
Oasis Child Care
Charity
The
Royal Hospital For Neuro-Disabilty
Note: the Choral Group card on
this site is from a painting of Elmbridge Choir in Concert (Royal
Marsden Cancer Concert, Ashtead).
Sera M.
Knight has been drawing and painting since
childhood. She paints mainly in watercolour,
acrylic and mixed media.
Tackling human figure and perspective has always
been her favourite subjects but she enjoys the
challenge of all subjects.
Regardless of the subject, to be able to use the
light cleverly, create a mystical atmosphere
together with technical and emotional strength
is her aim.
Sera
also paints on glass objects to the effect of
stained glass and exhibits these separately.
Born in Ankara, Turkey, Sera has a degree in
Architecture.
She
lived in Stavanger, Norway from 1980 to 1993 and
worked as an architect in the oil industry.
Now
living in the Woking area of Surrey, Sera is a
member of various art societies and groups and
exhibits her work regularly within these. She
also teaches adult education classes and tutors
private groups in mainly watercolour, mixed
media and drawing mediums.
This includes galleries of original paintings of
Ballet & Dance, Music, Boats, Street Scenes,
Horses & Ascot Races.
Other Greetings Cards, Prints & Posters
Sera has a very varied portfoilio of art, so there's sure to be
something to suit all tastes & occassions.
Greetings Cards, Posters & Prints
in a range of sizes and frame options are available. Galleries
include, Ballet & Dance, Music, London Scenes, Flowers,
Sailing & Boats and Other Art.
The cards & prints are available
in UK and many other countries on the following link:
Cards, Posters & Prints
Mailing List
If
you would like to be added to the mailing list, we can send you
occasional news of Sera's greetings cards, prints, original
paintings or exhibitions. Your details will not be passed on to
anyone else and you can opt to be taken off the mailing list at any
time.
Now available - beautiful Fine Art Prints of Ballet & Dance
paintings. These will soon also be available as Fine Art Greetings
Cards. Other designs will follow soon.
