Tom Lazell, musical director, along with choir members presented a cheque to Sadie Walters (The Forget-me-not Chorus) and Isla Horton (Grow Cardiff).
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Smiles all round as communities support each other
One Christmas is enough for most, not for the Llysfaen Singers though! Two sell-out Christmas concerts combined with carols in five different languages enthralled audiences and set the scene for Christmas '25. Alongside our regular venue, the Ty Mawr, this year we also invited family and friends to join us at Lisvane Memorial Hall - the home of our summer concerts. This proved very popular - as did the raffle! Audiences were treated to several traditional carols interspersed with a few less well-known numbers to celebrate the season. Philip Stopford’s beautiful A Christmas Blessing and Eric Whitacre’s Glow (written for the World of Color Honor Choir as part of the World of Color – Winter Dreams show which premiered at Disney California Adventure® Park) were two pieces chosen by our musical director Tom Lazell, in an attempt to challenge the choir. They certainly did… and the results spoke for themselves! These were contrasted by a beautiful version of Somewhere Only we Know (made famous by a John Lewis advert), arranged by our accompanist Chloe Clayton, and the very popular Feliz Navidad, plus many more. Many of the choir members also sang at the joint St Denys and Lisvane Baptist’s Christmas Celebration, also at the Memorial Hall. Alongside singing, we also feel passionately about supporting local charities and over the course of 2025 we have been able to raise £1,400, which we divided equally between Grow Cardiff and the Forget-me-not Chorus, charities close to the hearts of some of our members. During a recent rehearsal, we invited members of these charities along to join us. Isla Horton (co-founder and director of Grow Cardiff) collected a cheque for £700 on behalf of Grow Cardiff and explained this support enables the development of therapeutic community gardens for adults and children across Cardiff. This charity recognises the mental and physical benefits of gardening, particularly in areas of our community where life expectancy is lower. Sadie Walters, a local session coordinator for The Forget-me-not Chorus, was also presented with a cheque for £700. The Forget-me-not Chorus has been bringing people and families together who are living with dementia for more than 13 years. Thousands of people – from millennials to centenarians – participate in singing sessions every week. |
