Wednesday 11th December 2024

We were very pleased to be asked to play for the Trentley Probus Group after their Christmas lunch. They were meeting in the Westwood Suite in the Upper House Hotel, Barlaston which was ideal for us to be able to set up with the full team without disturbing their lunch.

We played a mixture of non-Christmas and Christmas pieces. We surprised them a little with the size of the team.  They were very appreciative and a lovely audience and were very interested in the music, bells and chimes.

Cast your mind back 12 months to December 2023, when the annual Christmas concert at Alton was affected by a storm which resulted in a loss of power for half the concert. On Saturday 7 December 2024, who should be sweeping across the country, but Storm Darragh and it was the annual Christmas concert at Alton. Now I am not suggesting a correlation, but it does make you wonder!

Nevertheless, many a hardy soul braved the debris, winds and rain and turned out to share our evening, which was a joint concert with Rhapsody choir, a community choir based in Uttoxeter. This had originally been scheduled to take place in 2020, but events intervened.

The programme began with 7 pieces by the handbell ringers, ranging from pieces very familiar to the audience such as My Favourite Things, My Heart Will Go On and Yesterday to Andante Grazioso by Mozart and...