Special Events and Excursions

This section will list events that do not appear under any other headings. They are not listed in chronological order. Where possible, additional information has been (or will be) provided, together with any photographs that can be located...

• Carol Singing at Springfields

The choir was asked to sing carols at various venues around Spalding. These photos were taken in the function room at Springfields (now demolished.)

Harvest Festival and Carols at Weston Hills

For many years our choir visited the small church at Weston Hills to help lead the singing. This invitiation originally came about after I had built a very small pipe organ for the church. Each year the choir was invited to sing at Harvest time, and also at Christmas. There were often more people in the choir than in the congregation. In recent years we have dropped this tradition - as attending a 3rd service on a Sunday is now too demanding for us all!

• Choir visit to Blakeney (Details and photos in the 'OUTINGS' section)

• Visits to Brant Broughton Church

Our choir went to Brant Broughton Church twice, - the visits initiated by Tim Clark, who was our Assistant Organist.

His father had been Rector at Brant Broughton, and so he had family connections there

The first visit was on 10th October 2011 which was the 50th anniversary of his father's installation as Rector in 1961, and also to mark the erection of a plaque in his memory (he died in 2005). The choir sang I was Glad and Stanford in C.

The second outing was on 14th July 2013 when the choir sang Dyson in F and The Central Orb.

As the church had no facilities, Tim had arranged for everyone to be able to use the toilet facilities outside a house along the lane. For some reason we had been told that no-one lived in the house, but that the toilet, in an outhouse, could be used. After the rehearsal everyone - choir members and parents and other supporters wandered down the lane to the house with the toilet. At this point we had about 20 minutes before we needed to get robed ready for the service.

One at a time the boys began to use the loo, and then a couple of ladies requested the use of the facilities more urgently ...

Time was pressing on, and there were still about 40 people waiting to use this one toilet so, as no-one was supposed to be occupying the adjoining house, I suggested that the boys could, if they wanted, go round the back of the hedge in the garden. After a general scamper round the back of the hedge - boys all lined up and having a wee, a very irate lady emerged from the house shouting and waving her hands in horror.

It appeared that the house was in fact occupied - and the occupant was, of course, not at all amused and wondered what on earth we were all doing. I spent the next 10 minutes trying to pacify her, and explained that we were all very sorry, but had been told no-one was living there. She eventually accepted our reasons for doing this, and accepted my apology. In the end she even came to Evensong to hear the choir sing.

The next time we visited Brant Broughton we did not make the same mistake again ...

• Carol singing at the (old) Johnson Hospital

Each year on Christmas Eve, members of our choir would meet at the Johnson Hospital in Priory Road to sing carols. We would sing in the entrance hall at the bottom of the staircase, and then go up to sing in the two main wards on the first floor. We usually finished by singing Away in a Manger in the maternity ward. In the early years we then went across the road to sing in the Avalon Wards - which were opposite the Johnson Hospital on the site of the car park adjacent to the South Holland District Council offices.

• Concert at Spalding Baptist Church with organist Nigel Ogden

Our choir was invited to take part in a concert at the Spalding Baptist Church, in Swan Street. The concert was organised by Ted Crampton, and the choir was accompanied by Alfred Furnish. The organist for the solo items was the famous Nigel Ogden - presenter of the Radio 2 show 'The Organist Entertains'.

Looking back over the years, we were certainly busy - and of course the lists below do not include all the normal weekly practices and Sunday services!

• A snapshot of some of the many events we had in 1987 ...

.. and in 1988 / 1989 ...

.. and during the 1990s ...

• Dedication service at Brothertoft

After I had built a small two manual pipe organ for the church at Brothertoft, our choir went to Brothertoft Church to sing at the Dedication Service. The church is in a field, with no roadway - so the only access was (and still is) through a field which is home to a herd of cows - and bulls... Thankfully our cassocks were blue and not red!

After the service refreshments were laid on in the church hall, adjacent to the road. This is when we almost left Malcolm Holloway behind ...

• Concert at Sutton Bridge

Councillor David Dewsberry was a great supporter of our choir, and presented the awards at several of our Open Evening Concerts. He arranged for our choir to perform at a concert in Sutton Bridge Church. We travelled by coach, and unfortunately the swing bridge was closed, and the traffic was at a standstill. We all had to get off the coach about 1/4 of a mile from the church, and walk the rest of the way ...

Raising the Roof - Concert

Malcolm Grief (Director of the South Lincs United Chorale) organised a concert in Spalding Parish Church to help raise funds for replacing the lead on our church roof. All choirs from the Spalding area were invited, and the concert took place on Saturday 21st June 2003. Joining our choir were the South Holland Singers, Cantemus, South Lincs United Chorale, St. John's Church Choir - and any other singers who wanted to join in! The school choir from Spalding Parish Church Day School also joined us.

• Weddings

The choir has sung at two weddings of former choristers, and we thank both of you for inviting us to be part of your special day.

Phil Whitaker was a long-serving choir member in the 1980s and 1990s and the choir sang at his wedding to Helen in 1990 (photo in the photo album) - and Chris Scotney has been a member since 1992.

• 700th Anniversary Celebrations

In 1984 our church celebrated its 700th anniversary. The main part of the church was built in 1284, with subsequent additions and alterations over the centuries.

Various musical events were held during the year, and Eric Wayman composed a special introit / anthem for the occasion: 'Almighty and eternal God, increase in us your gift of faith ...' which can be heard on the recording Sing a New Song in the Commercial Recordings section.

• Music at Burghley House

Our choir visited Burghley House and sang music in one of the rooms. I cannot recall why this was arranged - by Jennifer Chappell. I remember we sang in a group on a balcony, and I had to play a tiny electronic keyboard to accompany the choir ... I also remember that most of the boys were more interested in playing cricket outside on the grass than looking around the house.

• .. and if you are interested - some choir events since 2000

• Wedding at Gosberton and meeting the Duchess of York in June, 2019

In 2019 the senior boys of our choir were invited to sing at a wedding in Gosberton Church. We didn't know at the time, but Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) was at the service, sitting in the front row of pews. She was obviously impressed by the choir, and after the service she came up and talked to the choir boys, and had a lot of photographs taken. She then, very unexpectedly, arranged for each boy to receive a signed photograph - which I received through the post. I thought that was a very generous, and kind, gesture.