Creating a happy and engaged community.
Greatfield Community Choir
Greatfield Community Choir started in February 2017. It is a secular choir for all ages of mixed abilities where the belief is that everyone can sing. It brings people together to sing for fun. The repertoire is wide from sea shanties and prisoners’ songs to Christmas carols and songs which is sung for their own pleasure and have been sung in public at events such as the Hull Music Festival and the Christmas Parade. Members really enjoy singing as it makes them feel good, helps their confidence, reduces isolation and creates friendship opportunities while also enhancing mental and physical health. Some members who attended the first rehearsal at St Hilda’s are still singing with the choir, which continues to grow, getting people singing who have never sung before.
Greatfield sounds great!
Interkultur Choir Competition
A recent (2025) concert was staged at the Interkultur Choir Competition in Hull (in which they were not competing) where the Greatfield Choir led some communal singing and where feedback from more professional choirs gave them a lift. One choir said Greatfield Choir was the best there!
What it means to members
Choir members enjoy coming to meet other people (who are all lovely) and make new friends – they like the singing itself, social events and having a good laugh. They come for enjoyment and it is something to look forward to. Health is improved with controlled breathing and holding their posture better and it keeps their minds active, especially when learning new songs. Several members joined after their partners died, which helped with their grief, or during retirement, to fill the gaps in their lives and keep busy.
Performing in concerts took them out of their comfort zone. One lady said it had helped her overcome her nerves and she now has more confidence from singing in public.
One lady joined at the very start and said it was the best thing she had done. It gave her the help and support she needed when her husband died and support during Covid when the choir sang online and outside. The members of the choir became her family and attending concerts ‘gets you out’.
Members have learnt to sing – it certainly sounded good when I went to visit them – even when they think they can’t! One member has since joined the Hull Male Voice Choir as a result of his new-found talents.
The members intend to continue well into the future as they all love attending and as the Choir gets paid now for some of their performances, the chances are high it will be self-funding.
Not only do the members sing for their own pleasure, they also give enjoyment to others and spread the happiness. Two ladies mentioned at an Age UK event that they sang in a choir and now they are singing there, too, and encouraging the older folks to sing along.
