A NEW choir has launched in Yate and hopes to inspire residents in the area to take up singing.

The Yate and Chipping Sodbury Good Afternoon Choir will meet at St Mary’s Church in Yate every Wednesday afternoon from 2pm – 4pm. 

At a launch party on Wednesday, March 22, the new group sang songs from a wide range of genres including gospel, music theatre and pop.

The event was attended by the founder of the Good Afternoon Choir, Grenville Jones, who has established several popular singing groups in Bath, Devizes, Keynsham and Bristol.

He has appointed Tockington Manor school music teacher, Sian Walters to run the Yate and Chipping Sodbury branch of his Good Afternoon Choir project.

Sian said: “The choir is just a bit of fun for everyone - you don’t have to be a trained singer or be able to read music to attend.

"We welcome people of all abilities to come along and join us."

She added: “We had a great turn out at our launch day, where we sang songs from the musical Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

“Some people had never sang in harmony before, but joined in anyway and really enjoyed themselves.”

Singers of all abilities are invited to take part in the choir, with the first session being free.

Contact 01761 472468 for more information.