Rhayader Male Voice Choir made the long journey up to Cheshire recently for a special charity concert.

The choir were invited by ex-local Anne Kelly (nee Lewis) from Dolau who organised the event in Tarporley - a village around 10 miles east of Chester.

The concert was in aid of the local St Luke’s Hospice and The Bracken Trust, Llandrindod Wells.

This was one of the choirs finest hours, in part thanks to the excellent venue, Tarporley Methodist and Baptist Chapel, with excellent acoustics and the superb supporting artistes.

The choir opened with a rousing version of Men Of Harlech and after a couple more pieces the supporting performers took to the floor. Bethan Thomas is the choir’s excellent accompanist who was joined by her equally talented mother Kaye who played two beautiful duets. The audience was then bowled over by the wonderfully gifted Ffion Thomas, daughter of Bethan and choir secretary John Thomas, on the cornet. A highlight of the evening was a beautiful rendition of Love Changes Everything.

The choir then followed with more songs before Bethan and Ffion played a duet on the keyboard, Comedians Galop by Kabalevsky.

Choir concert Tarporley
Grandmother Kaye Rees with her daughter and granddaughter; Bethan and Ffion Thomas (.)

The evening was held together by the talents of compère Phil Gayther who had a special mention from one or two in the audience for his wit and charm.

The evening raised an outstanding £1406 - £703 each for St Luke’s and The Bracken Trust.

Choir concert Tarporley
Ffion Thomas delighted the audience with her cornet playing (.)

Ann Williams, CEO at Bracken Trust said: "We are extremely grateful to Anne and her friends for organising the event and raising money for Bracken Trust.

"I would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Rhayader Male Voice Choir for travelling to Cheshire and being the stars of the show. Many thanks to everyone involved.”