Category: News

The passing of a friend

Today (10 February 2020) is a sad one. Today we saw off our friend Barry Clarke who found a home in our 2^nd Tenor section since 2011.

Barry was an accomplished singer performing not only with our choir but also a small mixed choir called the Forest Singers; so redolent of the area in which he grew up and lived in the heart of Sherwood Forest.

Barry was a gentleman. He and his wife Enid (who pre-deceased him) raised three children and had multiple grandchildren and great grandchildren. We were proud to hear a eulogy given by Reverend Angela Fletcher, which spoke of his humanity and quiet, unassuming, generous nature. We were of course surprised by some of his antics with his twin brother Terry when they were young men.

Barry ran a fleet of luxury cars for weddings, funerals and special occasions and was well known and respected in the area. He apparently had a driving license for every classification of vehicle except a pilot’s license!

We know Barry as a faithful chorister who took great joy in his singing and performing, and we hope we did you justice as we sang Morte Christe in the church during a wonderful service. This was followed by a celebration wake at the local John Fretwell Centre where we provided some of his favourite songs namely, Guardian Angel, You Raise Me Up, The Rose, and We Rise Again. We are indebted to Sharon, one of his daughters, who allowed us to participate.

God bless you, Barry and Rest in Peace.

Geoff Mansfield

Reaching across the years – A Story from Eileen Lawrence, Choir Secretary 

Being choir secretary is always interesting but mostly repetitive; minutes at , newsletters, music and enquiries but occasionally something unusual pops up.

 One teatime the phone rang, and the gentleman introduced himself as Pete Haslam. He told me that he had joined the choir as a very young man in the 1970s. Having been a boy soprano he was placed in the first tenors and he really enjoyed his time with the choir. His stay was only a few years as he moved out of the area for work but during his time here the choir made a record called With a Voice of Singing. Pete bought two copies of this record, one for himself and one for his mother.

His new job was as a DJ for Radio Viking in Hull and sometimes he would play tracks from the record telling listeners that he had made a record! Some years later he moved to Sheffield to DJ with Radio Hallam and in the move his record went missing but never mind—mum had one, didn’t she?! However, when mum died the other record could not be found.

What real pleasure it is to see camaraderie and association with our choir over distance and time

Pete decided to contact our choir via myself to ask if there was any way in which he could obtain a copy. I had no idea but mentioned the call to Geoff Mansfield who told me that he thought that Gerald Houldsworth lent us the cover of that record a few years ago for the exhibition the choir put on at Mansfield library.  So, I spoke to Gerald who willingly lent me his 1978 LP, but I wasn’t sure how to go about getting it reproduced. Anyway, as I often do regarding matters to do with the choir, I mentioned it to John Wakeland, our Chairman, who told me that he had the know-how and the equipment to do the job.

John kindly copied it on to a CD before Christmas 2019 and I sent it on to Peter in Hull. I have recently received a letter and cheque from Peter in thanks ( see below). What real pleasure it is to see camaraderie and association with our choir over distance and time. There is certainly something truly sustainable about belonging to a choir which makes your life just so much better.

Eileen Lawrence

Choir Secretary

Last year was a significant year for the Choir. Mansfield & District MVC second tenor, Geoff Mansfield shares some thoughts:

2019 marked the 75th Anniversary of our illustrious choir, the late election in December to end the endless Brexit debate and the change in committee leadership as Gordon Blanc retired after his three-year incumbency to be followed by John Wakeland.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Undoubtedly the highlight of the year was the award of the Freedom of the District of Mansfield[/perfectpullquote]

Undoubtedly the highlight of the year was being formally recognised by the then Mayor of Mansfield, Kate Allsop and being awarded the Freedom of the District. This was heartily agreed by numerous members of the council at a presentation on 5th March. In support we also received a letter from Her Majesty the Queen in recognition of our ambassadorial role in Mansfield. These are once in a lifetime achievements and were most appropriate to mark the work and dedication of all our members present and past. We must remember that we are only the custodians of the choir’s existence and it is up to us to pass on our success and pedigree to future generations of choir members.

Our celebrations were next marked by a fantastic social evening at the Hostess restaurant where we enjoyed the antics of Del Boy, Rodney, Granddad and more in an Only Fools and Horses themed evening.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The pinnacle concert was the massed choir event at Southwell Minster[/perfectpullquote]

Our pinnacle concert this year was a massed choir event at Southwell Minster with our friends from Bestwood Male Voice Choir and St Edmundsbury Male Voice Choir. Organised by Geoff Mansfield and Harold Huxtable through the auspices of Southwell Rotary Club the concert was sold out with nearly 500 in the audience and we managed to build donations to two local charities of over £4,000.

Our weekend away this year was a very pleasant and successful weekend to sing with The Oxford Welsh MVC and the Basingstoke Hospital MVC. Each concert had its own atmosphere and flavour and we were warmly welcomed by both choirs and enjoyed some memorable singing under the leadership of Ian Grice our Musical Director. The four-day event included a trip on the river Thames from Henley on Thames and a visit to Windsor which was enjoyed by all.

In September we were invited to participate in the centenary celebrations for Eastwood Collieries MVC. A well-rehearsed, well attended and polished evening concert in The Albert Hall, Nottingham proved very popular and we were delighted to be guided by the skills of Liz Moulder (MD) and her team at Eastwood.

Many will have their own particular memories from these concerts and from the other concerts this last year. 2020 will see us launching once again into an extensive repertoire for the Welsh Association of Male Choirs concert at The Royal Albert Hall in May 2021. Although challenging, the rewards in skills development, exposure to new repertoire and a wonderful weekend away are self-evident. This is a most professionally run event and brings us to a peak of performance capability. Welsh choral singing has always been very much a part of the Male Voice Choir repertoire, but we are now perhaps the only choir in the East Midlands which carries on the tradition.

April 2019 saw some changes in committee members change with Chairman Gordon Blanc retiring and Geoff Mansfield standing down as Concert Manager. These roles have been taken up by John Wakeland and Lynden Lowe respectively. John’s ambition, together with that of Ian our MD, is to significantly improve the skills and capability of the choir and we have been heavily supported and tested with voice testing, audio and computerised support materials, mentoring and buddy systems. This inevitably has meant some changes in membership; some chaps decided to retire, and new men have joined. We look forward to seeing and hearing the results through 2020. Margaret Ball, the choir accompanist, has, as ever, been a steadfast rock and foundation of the choir. Her dedication, reliability and skilful guidance are so much appreciated.

The surprise passing away of second tenor Barry Clarke in late December was felt by us all and he will be sorely missed. After 40 years with the choir Tom Dillon retired aged 95; unsurpassed in tenacity and such a gentleman.

We should offer a word of appreciation and gratitude to our committee member who voluntarily served during the year (David Marriott, John Wakeland, Ian Grice, Margaret Ball, Lynden Lowe, Eileen Lawrence, Eric Bexon, Julie Bexon, Paul Bennett, Barry Robinson, Gordon Blanc, Geoff Mansfield, Nick Shelley, Dan Hayes)

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]We must express special words of appreciation and thanks to our Committee members and Supporters’ Group[/perfectpullquote]

We must express a special thankyou for our tireless Supporters Group led by Marilyn Mansfield. Since late 2012 these ladies have fulfilled their objectives of extending the family feeling to the wives of all our choristers and fund raising to support the choir’s ambitions and agenda. To date there have been over 20 members and they have raised an unbelievable £17,000.

Some our Supporters’ Group receiving a gift of appreciation at our choir “fuddle“ on 17th December 2019.
Left to right
Shirley White, Mary Turner, Jill Lowe, Angela Walton, Sylvia Bramley, Chairman John Wakeland,
Marilyn Mansfield, Ian Bartle (2nd tenor and best pot washer at our breakfast events), Maureen Mycock,
Natalie Bexon, Julie Bexon, Eileen Lawrence and Sheila Pitfield.

Not pictured are
Beryl Warren, Maddie Pearson, Hilda Eddershaw, Sue Bartle, Kate Bartle, Jo Scanlon, Eileen Burton, Win Robinson and Jane Bennett.