Following on the heels of a highly successful annual concert, Chepstow Male Voice Choir was soon on the way to the north-east of England to perform a further three concerts and two recitals in four days.

The first recital was at Wakefield Cathedral in West Yorkshire. As usual, the wonderful acoustics of the cathedral enhanced the singing of the choir for the benefit of a very appreciative audience.

The following day, after an early start (necessary in order to take advantage of low tide) the Chepstow choir was on the island of Lindisfarne, otherwise known as Holy Island, to sing a concert in the iconic St Paul's Church.

The visit to this holy place was much appreciated by the members of the party, many of whom remarked on the different and wonderful 'feel' of the place.

Hence, it was off for another journey to the town of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

The choir warmed up in the adjacent lifeboat museum and, to leave its mark, sang, 'Calm is the Sea' to a lifeboat.

This was one of two concerts raising money for several charities and it was satisfying to see an overflowing audience.

One of the pieces to be sung on this tour was a medley of five Geordie folk songs, written in that idiom. The choristers had spent a diligent three months learning the Geordie dialect.

Finally Hexham, a place of character and beauty. A visit to the ancient and wonderfully interesting abbey was on the programme as the choir were to sing a short recital in the Saxon surroundings.

There was a sense of deep satisfaction in what had been achieved by the choir on their tour – including the raising of substantial sums of money for charities.