A SINGING group has brought sudden worldwide attention to Longwell Green.
Mary Williams started Zest Choir a few years ago so that people who believed they could not hold a tune could enjoy singing together.
The inclusive group meets on Wednesday mornings in the community centre. It was when Mary started to publicise a second, evening session that the ‘tone deaf choir’ attracted the attention of Points West.
Since then, recording crews from BBC and ITV local and national TV and radio stations including Radio 2, Radio 5 Live and the World Service have visited.
“It’s so funny – we can’t stop giggling,” said Mary. “Some of the singers were terrified to face the cameras – but they gave it a go anyway! Since then we’ve been played across the world and I’ve had messages from as far away as Cyprus and New Zealand.”
What the interviewers wanted to know was why people who thought they couldn’t sing were turning up and singing anyway.
“We told them: because it’s fun. We proved that not knowing which end of the musical scale is up doesn’t stop you from making a joyful noise. Come along – we don’t mind if you’re flat as long as you’re fabulous. You might find you don’t sound as awful as you think you do,” said Mary.
People come to the choir from all over Bristol and further afield so Mary is now considering starting new groups in other parts of the city.
Find out more at zestchoirs.com