Reigate St Mary’s Choristers Entertain Seniors

Choristers from Reigate St Mary’s and Reigate Grammar School invited elderly members of the Reigate community to join them for an afternoon of choral classics followed by tea and cake at St Mary’s Church Hall to brighten an otherwise grey January day

The Reigate Grammar School (RGS) Godfrey Searle Choir was established in the early part of the 20th century and is made up of pupils from Reigate St Mary’s and their senior school, Reigate Grammar. They rehearse four times a week in the original choir room, which is still an important part of Reigate St Mary’s School. They sing Evensong, which is open to everyone, twice a week at St Mary’s Church and they perform regularly at local and national events.

Over the years, they have entertained local residents many times with their inspiring singing and beautiful repertoire and on 25 January they were delighted to welcome more than 60 elderly folk from the surrounding area to an afternoon of song followed by tea and cake. RGS Head of Choral Music, Tali Glynne Jones, devised a wonderful programme which included choral classics and a sing-a-long with the guests, culminating in a rousing rendition of ‘Thank You for the Music’.

Afterwards, Mrs Glynne-Jones said, ‘One of the greatest pleasures of directing the choristers is being part of the outreach opportunities where the choir can interact and perform to others in the community who would not otherwise have the chance to hear them sing. I am always impressed with how freely and confidently the choristers chat with those who have come to hear them, helping to hand out refreshments and taking the chance to share stories. This is a mutually beneficial experience and a really rewarding thing to see.’

The event was organised by the Reigate St Mary’s Outreach Coordinator, Lesley Nicholson. She said, ‘We all really enjoyed being able to entertain such a wonderful group of local residents. Community Outreach is an important part of RSM’s values and philosophy and we love being part of joyful community events such as this.’