THREE original members of the Alvington Singers are still with the choir, 30 years after its inception.

The choir had humble beginnings in the front room of their first musical director, Diana Brown. With just six members, they met at Diana’s house on Alvington Terrace, Westville, giving them their name – Alvington Singers.

Among the six original members were Sheila Beaumont, Tony Maunder and Angela Thomas, who are still with the choir three decades later. Today, they rehearse in Kingsbridge Methodist Church.

Starting in 1985, the choir grew slowly and eventually became too big to rehearse in a living room, and then began practising in West Alvington Primary School.

Although they now have around 35 members, Anne Dooley, former chair, said there was always a ‘family feeling’ about the group. Sheila Beaumont, one of the founding members, said: ‘Our aim has always been to be a small, friendly choir. We play a wide selection of music, we don’t just stick to the “highbrow” stuff.’

The choir is now chaired by David Radford, with a main committee of five volunteers, with members ‘taking it in turns’ to chair.

The group have been under the direction of four musical directors in its lifetime, Diana Brown 1985-1989, Elizabeth Pakenham 1989-1997, Alastair Durden 1997-2013 and currently Tim Matthews, who member Michael Sturdee says has ‘really made us up our game, as all new leaders do’.

The Alvington Singers are having a birthday party on Wednesday, November 25, and have two Christmas concerts planned for December.

They are currently preparing for their Christmas concert series, which has a variety of familiar and new carols to for everyone to enjoy. An arrangement of an old Celtic carol, ‘Child in a Manger’, jolly ‘Jingle Bells’ fun, an exquisite setting of ‘Ave Maria’, by Bruckner, and some audience participation will make for a very entertaining evening.

They will be performing at the St Thomas of Canterbury Church in Dodbrooke on Wednesday, December 9, and at Holy Trinity Church in Salcombe on Wednesday, December 16.

Both concerts start at 7.30 pm and tickets are available on the door. For more details contact Michael Sturdee on: 01548 852735, or any choir member. For more information, visit their website: www.alvingtonsingers.org.uk