ABERTILLERY ORPHEUS MALE CHOIR CÔR MEIBION ABERTYLERI	FOUNDED 1908 PATRON: Robert Lloyd CBE Site updated:18 November, 2007

Watford

With buses hired for the first time from Mainline coaches, accommodation booked with Best Western Hotels, a concert co-ordinated by the Rotary Club of Watford and food organised by an ex-member of the Hertfordshire Constabulary Anorexic Division, this was a trip that held no bounds.

Firstly, our concert was superb and graced with not only a wonderful repertoire of choir singing but also with superb solo pieces by our accompanist, Penny Hughes. It was also graced by an intoxicated lady arriving mid-way through the first half, an over-zealous microphone and a police helicoptor escort back to the bus. The trip to the awaiting home of Hertfordshire (twinned with Ethiopia) Constabulary Social Club was also not to be undone when both buses passed the same chinese restaurant three times whilst Fred Prosser fixed the 'BusNav' system.

Upon arrival at the Social Club, all 93 guests were greeted by a plethora of two bar staff and an awaiting 'lazy susan' of sandwiches, snacks, nibbles and litebites.......not. Had Fred forgotten to book us in or was it just another government cost cutting exercise?. Who cared. By the time we were halfway through the after concert singing, even the wedding crowd from next door were asking to sing quieter because they couldn't hear the disco! Some even stayed because the singing was better!

Back to the hotel, some went to bed earlier whilst others stayed on. It's surprising what things are said and sung between midnight and 4.30am in the morning. Has anyone seen Britt Ekland or a large stealth Cornish Pastie since we've come back?

Following an evening of gastronomic proportions, a full hearty cooked English breakfast of croissant and weetabix was had and the choir plus members boarded said charabangs and made a hasty retreat to HRH Windsor, then home.

Finally, and all things being equal, we've survived another trip and the Constabulary have written to put things right for our next visit whilst Martin Sexton of the Rotary Club has also pen'd a few words.....

"...Hello Dennis, this is a belated, very big thankyou to everybody connected with the choir for giving us such a memorable evening. We have received congratulations from many quarters for putting on such a good event and I'm so pleased to pass these on to you all. The singing and piano performance were of the highest order, appreciated hugely by the audience of the Rotary Club of Watford and we do hope to have the privilege of hearing you again in the future. Would you kindly give Fred Prosser my grateful thanks for instigating the concert (I seem to have lost his contact details when I passed over the file to Scotland Yard.....no sorry, I mean to our organiser Mike) and should you be in the area in future, please visit our club again when you will be made most welcome.

With Very Best Wishes, Martin Sexton....."

Posted 06-Nov-2007