Special Occasions
Reflections On The Royal Albert Hall Weekend In Aid Of Cancer Research UK
On 30th October 2009, over 20 choir members and their supporters set off from North Ferriby for London. Our driver lee was superb and the coach was very comfortable. We had an uneventful journey and soon arrived at our hotel in Chiswick. This was a superb location and we all appreciated the comfort of the hotel.
In the evening we all did our own thing – some folk staying in the hotel to eat and others choosing to eat out and take in a theatre. Whatever the choice everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.
Saturday morning came, we were up early, had breakfast and the coach picked us up to take us for our rehearsal at the Royal Albert Hall. Upon entering the Hall, everybody seemed to be taken aback by the grandeur of the place, even those of us who had been before. It is lovely to sit amongst other choirs who just enjoy singing.
Once again, Bill Rendle, our conductor, put us all at ease. (it must be the red braces!!!) He is a lovely man and he just wanted us to enjoy ourselves.
Back to our hotel at about 2ish then a short walk up Chiswick High Street before a bar meal at the hotel and then getting ready for the evening performance. Once again, the organisation was superb – everything just right, coach pick-up and drop-off, everything was great.
To say the evening was atmospheric can only be an understatement. It was superb and really moving. The Hall was packed to capacity and when the twinklers were switched on the feeling we all got was one of sheer wonder. I think all our choir members were thinking of Joan Whitfield, our dear friend who sadly died a couple of weeks before the performance. She was with us the last time we were there and in some ways, she was with us again.
As we were all on a high, it took us a while to land again. You have to be there to experience the togetherness.
Sunday morning saw us at Covent Garden once again to entertain the crowds. The rain stopped just before we started singing which helped the collection buckets, no doubt.
Those of us who went to the performance3 years ago thought that was wonderful, but I can honestly say that this year’s topped the lot!!! It was fantastic.
Thanks to Lee, we arrived back safely in North Ferriby on the Sunday evening, tired but very happy.