More Christmas Goings On

Trafford General’s Moorside Unit

 

Tuesday 17 December found us not at our normal rehearsal spot but at Trafford General’s Moorside Unit. It has become a bit of a tradition that we visit this place that offers such considered care to it patients. They provide us with such a lovely audience and offer us hot chocolate and cupcakes as well.  

‘Some of your songs ae a bit cringy,’ said one a member of our audience who met us in the corridor later, ‘but they’re really good because we can see you enjoy singing them.’ I guess he was right on both counts: yes, they’re some of the good old ones that everybody knows, though some of them have a particular twist and are sung in four parts anyway, and yes we enjoy them. How lovely for our final Tuesday in 2024.

Christmas jumpers, tinsel and purple hats abounded.

 

Lancaster Castle

 

… used to be a prison which might have been useful when we demanded our figgy pudding and we weren’t going to go until we got some in that well-known sung.

It certainly didn’t have a prison-like atmosphere on Saturday 21 December and I’m also certain that our audience weren’t held against their will.

We joined with Jeff’s other choirs – Blackburn People’sChoir, Gathered Voices and  South Lakes Acappella to brave walking across the cobbles and offer a programme of Christmas music including many numbers that the audience were invited to join in with.  We even had a very young lady signing several of the well-known songs.

Lancaster Castle is just 300 meters form the railway station so getting there by train is a good option.  The station also has a large public car park and I was pleased to find several free places even on the Saturday before Christmas. There is a short cut is though the station and the castle is then only a little bit uphill.

I arrived early, in a downpour, but my phone informed me the rain would stop in twelve minutes. It did and kept mainly away from us as we sang three sets between 11.00 am and 2.00 pm.

There were short breaks between sets and plenty for us to do: visit the excellent café, be tempted by the lovely chocolate shop or take a stroll through the atmospheric town centre, which starts just a few meters away.

It’s fun singing with other choirs. We all know how much work goes into getting the songs to this standard. And we also know what a lot of fun it is, especially when we can sing together like this.

 

Buile Hill Park

 

Another tradition – we’ve been singing there on the last Sunday before Christmas now, we worked out, for six years.

This is the second time we’ve had to sing inside.

There was a very strong wind on the afternoon of Sunday 22 December. The gazebo was down and the tables and chairs stacked flat.

The atmosphere inside the pavilion though was lively. Mulled wine, mince pies, jacket potatoes, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and chocolate tarts were on offer.

We sang for just over an hour: some of our Christmas repertoire, some of our normal repertoire and our singalong Christmas karaoke.

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without our visit to Buile Hill Park.  We hope to come for many more years. Thank you for having us.