LVS Ascot Choir Brings Early Christmas Cheer To Retirement Village

15 Jan 2016

The senior choir of LVS Ascot school brought some early Christmas cheer to a retirement village on Wednesday as they performed carols to entertain around 100 residents at a retirement village.

Twenty talented young singers from the LVS Ascot’s Senior School and Sixth Form arrived at Denham Garden Village to lead residents in a session of communal singing, captivate them with choral arrangements and impress with several solo performances. But when students at the leading independent all-ability Berkshire school discovered that one resident, Agnes Mercer, had turned 100 earlier in the week, they broke into their programme of Christmas hymns to sing Happy Birthday to Agnes, a gesture appreciated and enjoyed by all which left Agnes quite emotional. You can see this moment here.

Mr Wilder, Master in charge of Singing and Choral Music at LVS Ascot, said: “It is an invaluable experience for students to participate in an event like this. It is good public performance practice but it is also important to give something back to the community and is our chance to make sure as many people as possible feel included at Christmas. The joy on residents’ faces was clear and made it all worthwhile”.

With one of LVS Ascot’s objectives being to create outstanding individuals by promoting social, communication and interpersonal skills, the afternoon provided a great opportunity for the students to engage with the community, hear about the residents’ life experiences and spread joy at Christmas. After the concert the students mingled with residents, sharing cake and swapping stories over tea, an experience which was appreciated and enjoyed by both parties.

The carol concert included renditions of Ding Dong Merrily On High, Once In Royal David’s City and Oh Come All Ye Faithful plus a stunning solo performance of Walking In The Air from Jamie in Year 8. It is the second year that the LVS Ascot choir has performed at Denham Garden Village, which houses people who used to work in the pub trade. The village used to be run by the Licensed Trade Charity, which also runs LVS Ascot, and still nominates residents for accommodation at Denham Garden Village as part of its role in providing help to former and current pub trade employees.

 

Photo: Jamie meets 100-year-old Agnes after singing Happy Birthday to her