GWENT charity St David’s Hospice Care is on song after securing funds to start up its own choir.

The new choir, called St David’s Hospice Harmony, under the baton of celebrated opera singer Karl Daymond, from Neath but now living in Chepstow, is looking to recruit singers.

Mr Daymond, who has various singing groups in Wales and the west including in Usk, Chepstow and the Forest of Dean as part of The Singing Club, trained at the Guildhall School of Music, London and the National Opera Studio sponsored by Glyndbourne Opera.

St David’s Hospice Harmony Choir organiser Angela Canellas, of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “Setting up the choir is the realisation of a long held dream not just for me but for St David’s Hospice Care. We’re now looking for patients and their family members to get involved and become members of our brilliant new St David’s Hospice Harmony choir.

“You don’t have to be able to sing it’s more about taking part. Group singing is widely recognised for its holistic and beneficial qualities and its ability to reduce stress levels. We’re hoping that patients and their loved ones will be able to join together and really enjoy being part of a new choir and singing together.

“As you can imagine for many people the idea of a choir is quite specific and we often hear people say, ‘I can’t sing’ but we hope that with our new choir we can blow that myth out of the water. Patients and family members of St David’s Hospice Care are all invited to attend. People shouldn’t be afraid to join our choir.”

The St David’s Hospice Harmony choir, which will come together once a week for an hour for practice, currently has 17 members signed up and has places for forty.

Angela said St David’s Hospice Care is grateful to Karl Daymond for his services and also to the Big Lottery Fund for its £4,900 to fund 18 weeks to set up the choir for patients, families and carers to improve

wellbeing.