LONGHOPE Church hosted an evening of choral performance featuring more than 50 voices from two distinguished male voice choirs.

A stage was erected and 100 audience seats carefully prepared for what was set to be a magical evening organised by the Friends of Longhope Church on Friday, September 19.

Chair of the Friends, Tina Coull, explained: “The evening opened with a warm welcome from Longhope’s own Bob Harris who spoke briefly about the Friends of Longhope Church (FOLC) and their continuing efforts to support the church community.

“Bob then handed over the evening to Patrick Saunders, musical director of the Gloucestershire Police Male Voice Choir who led the choir through a stunning programme of music.

GPMVC opened with a stirring rendition of Hallelujah, followed by touching performances of Fields of Gold and My Heart Will Go On. The emotional depth of Say Something and the traditional Welsh hymn Gwahoddiad set the tone for a deeply moving night.

“Special guest Kirsten Barker, a talented local soprano, captivated the audience with a haunting version of The Fields of Athenry and later Summertime, drawing admiration from all in attendance.

“Drybrook Male Voice Choir delighted the crowd with favourites such as Danny Boy, This Is My Forest, and an upbeat rendition of Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

“The finale featured both choirs in a breathtaking performance of You'll Never Walk Alone. The powerful harmonies filled the church and moved many to tears.

“Profits from the event will go towards the construction of the proposed new church path—just a few more metres now remain thanks to the generosity of those who attended.

“To close out the evening, both choirs made their way to The Red Hart, the local country pub, where Sharon and her team where there were more informal performances.”