St Wilfrid's Hospice Community Choir



ABOUT


St Wilfrid's Hospice Community Choir is a welcoming and friendly group that enables people to experience the joy and therapeutic benefits of singing and camaraderie. A range of music is covered, rock and pop, new and old, classic and modern and the choir members learn different vocal ranges and harmonies with the wonderful support and guidance of Aneesa – all in a very happy,relaxed and supportive environment. All abilities are welcome and guaranteed fun is had by all.

We currently have a register of approximately 80 people, of which about half meet and rehearse weekly at the hospice and perform two concerts a year in order to raise funds, namely Summer and Christmas.

Sometimes, other performances are put on too, (for those who wish to join in), like busking or a flashmob!!

Some of our members have experienced the amazing care and comfort given by the hospice staff to them and their loved ones; others simply wish to support our local hospice whilst benefiting from music and song. Come and join us for coffee and cake, music and friendship. You won’t want to leave!


Term Dates: Thursdays from 11th Jan - 11th July, 17:30 - 19:00 

Cost: £7 advance payment / £10 drop in / £5 with agreement

Venue: St Wilfrid's Hospice, Educational Suite (upstairs)


Choir Staff & Volunteers



Volunteers

Membership: Lesley Pizzey: 07949 924 875

Volunteer Treasurer: Jane Darling

Volunteer Secretary: Elaine Lindfield

Volunteer Publicity: Christina Cavallari

Volunteer Event raffles & cake : Vanessa Washbourne


EVENTS


Summer concert

Sunday 14th July, 18:00 at St Wilfrid's Hospice

Raffle Prizes, Cake and joyous music to look forward to! 

Tickets: £15 from stwilfridshospicecc@gmail.com

All proceeds help keep the choir going and supporting members to attend. The choir busk to raise money and the profile of St Wilfrid's Hospice twice a term. All Welcome.



Christmas concert

Sunday December, 18:00 at St Wilfrid's Hospice

Raffle Prizes, Cake and joyous music to look forward to!

Tickets: £15 from stwilfridshospicecc@gmail.com

All proceeds help keep the choir going and supporting members to attend. The choir busk to raise money and the profile of St Wilfrid's Hospice twice a term. All Welcome.



Videos


Testimonials

October 2022

You are never too old. I used to volunteer in the gardens at St Wilfrids, and also on the plant stall at the open gardens. Now at well over 80, I really enjoy singing with the choir. It makes me feel young again. Pam Hollingworth (Tune)


September 2022

Finally I did it. I joined a choir and realised how freeing and fun and sometimes therapeutic it is to sing in a safe space. Also for me it’s very special to sing in st Wilfrids choir, a charity dear to my heart as the beautiful st Wilfrids team supported me and my family last year for 6 months caring for my mother in her last days. Couldn’t have done it without them. ”
Elke Xx  (Tune)


September 2022

2018 was a challenging and very sad year for me. Allen ( my kind and loving partner) became a hospice client. We spent 3 weeks of November staying in the hospice. The care given to Allen was exemplary. But Allen wanted to die at home so home he came for over 3 weeks. The care from the hospice continued. After Allen's death life got messy emotionally and physically and I too was diagnosed with cancer.
I saw a hospice counsellor and after our 6 week stint together during the summer of 2019 she suggested that I do something new. Something that I had not tried before. A brief discussion took place and before I knew it I Dinah who couldn't hold a note had agreed to join the choir. That was in September 2019. Stepping back into the hospice and taking on the challenge of joining a choir was nerve wracking. I arrived early sat down and waited. It felt like an avalanche of people who tumbled through the automatic door. What was I thinking of a non singer joining a choir!
But smiles were freely offered, I felt welcomed and then I was gently propelled into a room which soon became a cacophony of noise. Aneesa stood before us. She welcomed me as she welcomes everyone with warmth and genuine loveliness and we were off. It was the first time I had sung in 40 something years. I have to say I cried well it was more of a gulpy sob really. Gentle hugs were offered and warm words freely given. I realise now I had taken the first steps on my healing journey. Even Covid couldn't break this amazing choir and it's very talented Musical Director. I would not say the choir has made me into a singer but it has made me into a trier. I still at times feel way out of my comfort zone but who knows what the future will bring. Watch this space.

Dinah Farrah (Low TUNE)

 

Thank you so much for tonight you are an inspiration! What a super experience. Just felt so alive singing with a lovely group of people. Good for my heart and soul.” Thank you 

Ginnie xx (SOP 1)

I didn't quite know what to expect when I joined the choir a few years ago. The variety of songs that we sing each week are wonderful, and the concerts are such fun and so amazingly joyful. What I also didn't expect, was that I would meet such a friendly and supportive group of people who really rally round to help each other. The work undertaken to maintain the success of the choir, its promotion and subsequent fundraising for the hospice is a pleasure to be involved in.

Elaine (Low Tune)


Members 

News & Stories

"When the anniversary of our dear Claudio's passing comes around myself and our daughters, Paige & Abbie always try to do something uplifting to recall the most amazing care received from St Wilfrid Hospice, not only for Claudio but his 3 girls too.In December 2021 we had an open house event where local businesses came together to support us with raffle prizes, donations and myself and my daughters baked until we dropped and sold homemade cakes, savoury pastries, mulled wine & cider. We raised a whopping £1,626.56. The imminent re gathering of the Hospice choir in the new year spurred us on as we wanted to sign post some of the money raised to support the choir.I joined the Hospice Choir in 2019 and haven’t looked back! The choir community has been fundamental to our ongoing links to the hospice and particularly helped me with my grieving. Singing with my new choir friends is an absolute joy and Aneesa our Choir Facilitator brings an energy and warmth that brings us altogether. The hospice is not just about loss it is a place to come together, laugh, make new friends and talk about losing loved ones which is ok and makes us stronger!!"

Christina Cavallari


Support Us 

Donations & Sponsorship

St Wilfrid's Hospice Community Choir warmly appreciate and welcome donations & sponsorship. If you are unable to attend one of our concerts or rehearsals or events but would like to support us you can make a donation to the choir 

OR

you can support us in lots of ways including

Sponsoring sound equipment for our concerts

Book us to sing at your events

Promote us in your newsletters

Offer Prizes for our Raffles 

Sponsor our choir T - Shirts

Sponsor a member to attend rehearsals

We would love to say thank you with 

2 complimentary tickets to our concerts

to thank you in our concert programme and 

mention you on our website

You can speak to our friendly volunteer treasurer, Jane Darling on our choir email address if you would like to support the choir by way of a donation. These can be anonymous but we would love to thank you!

Choir email address: 

stwilfridshospicecc@gmail.com

Please note that we are in the process of setting up a Community Choir bank account, but this takes a little time. As soon as this is operational, all choir funds will transfer to the new account and the PayPal link will change.

In the meantime, our choir Facilitator and Musical Director Aneesa has kindly allowed us to use her PayPal so that we don’t miss out on any of your much appreciated support and donations. As treasurer, I keep full details of the choir finances going in and out of the account. 

Jane Darling, SWHCC Volunteer Treasurer


THANK YOU's

SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS 

Thank you to St Wilfrid's Hospice for enabling choir members to sing and support the hospice with so many things including printing, publicising & supporting the choir

Members of the choir who are too sweet to shout about their support of the hospice choir but we know they have done so, including

Lesley, Jane, Elaine, Vanessa, Paul, Pauline, Margaret, Eva, Stu, Karen, Rachel & Mog.

Thank you to Christine Cavallari for making a donation to the choir from your Supper Club and for sponsoring raffle tickets at previous concerts.

PHOTOS


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