The Good Afternoon Choirs were started by Bath-based Grenville Jones 15 years ago and there are now 26 across the South West, from Gloucester down to Cornwall, with more than 1,000 members ‘singing in the afternoon’.
The Bath Good Afternoon Choir at an event in Bath Abbey | Photo © Good Afternoon Choirs
Grenville has a worldwide reputation as a choir leader and takes four of the Good Afternoon choirs himself, employing freelance leaders and accompanists for the others.
There are no auditions and the accent is on fun singing, making friends and supporting local organisations with fundraising concerts.
Last year the choirs raised a combined total of over £30,000 for good causes.
Choir members are now singing for the charities they will support in 2024.
The Bath Good Afternoon Community Choir have chosen to support Care for Casualties through their concerts and other fundraising activities in 2024.
Grenville leads the choir, which meets every Thursday at Widcombe Baptist Church from 2pm to 4pm.
He also leads the Keynsham Good Afternoon Community Choir. They meet every Wednesday from 2pm to 4pm at Keynsham Methodist Church’s Victoria Centre.
Choir members have chosen to support Keynsham and Saltford Dementia Action Alliance through their concerts and other fundraising activities in 2024.
Their next concert for the charity will take place as part of the Keynsham Music Festival on Friday 5th July at St John’s Church with special guests the Bristol Male Voice Choir. Tickets, priced £10, are available on the door or at gac.ticketlight.co.uk.
Also in North East Somerset is the Norton Radstock Good Afternoon Community Choir, led by John Sandford. They have chosen to support Dorothy House Hospice through their concerts and other fundraising activities this year.
They meet every Thursday at Midsomer Norton Methodist Church Hall from 1pm to 3pm.
Full details on all the Good Afternoon Choirs and rehearsal times can be found at www.goodafternoonchoir.org.
This story first appeared in The Week In, our sister title.
