Page 18 - SPN0117Web

St Alphege Choirs - Carol Singing
During the month of December, we use carol singing as a
way of getting out into the local community to make contact
with people we wouldn’t otherwise meet.
Wherever we go, we have leaflets available which list
forthcoming services and events at St Alphege, and a robed
choir, predominantly made up of children, always attracts lots
of interest. People stop what they are doing to listen to a few
carols, they ask us about who we are, and they ask about the
church, and sometimes they request a particular favourite.
We try to divide our time between our own fundraising on the
one hand (to fund the necessary costs associated with running the choir which the church is
unable to fund), and helping different community organisations on the other. So far this
December, we attended the Christmas lights switch on at Hobs Moat, an area of Solihull which
the council are trying to regenerate. Then we helped
charity Little Hearts Matter, who had permission to hold
a bucket collection in the Bullring in Birmingham City
Centre, which was far more effective with some carol
singers than if they were simply looking for donations
from passing shoppers. We sang for the Senior Care
Group’s Songs of Praise event, and enjoyed tea
afterwards. We will be visiting Abbeyfields together
with members of the parish youth.
At the time of writing, we have just held a concert in
aid of Cancer Research UK, a traditional carol concert
with a mixture of choir items, audience participation
and readings, which was very well received by everyone in attendance. We are hoping to have
helped to raise a good amount for this charity, thanks to the efforts of our choirs and the
generous support of the audience.
We have sung in Mell Square, at Birmingham International train station and Sainsbury’s, and
have visits to the new Waitrose and Morrison’s planned. We also collaborate with the local
police partnership team and will visit some of
the pubs on the High Street as part of their
licensing checks – this is probably the adults’
favourite as there is usually time for a drink at
the end! As for the children’s favourite, it might
be Birmingham International if there’s time for
a ride on the monorail, but they also all really
enjoy what they are able to do at the Marie Curie
Hospice, which we will visit for the third time on
Christmas Eve this year – patients, family,
visitors and staff all very much appreciate our efforts and it seems to have a real impact on
the children. Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year – we look forward to all that 2017
holds in store for our parish community. Isabel Baumber
16