Thompson Smith and Puxon is delighted to once again sponsor the Colchester Forum Rotary Club’s Choir competition for Junior Schools, now in its fourth year.
The 2017 competition will take place over three heats and a final and will see 11 choirs taking part. The winners will be presented with a trophy (pictured left) and certificates.
Heat 1 took place on Thursday 2nd November at Thomas Lord Audley School and featured St George’s New Town Junior School, Bishop William Ward Primary School and Heathlands Primary School.
Heat 2 will take place on Tuesday 7th November at Thomas Lord Audley School, Monkwick Avenue, from 7.00pm, and will feature St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School, Gosbecks Primary School, Queen Boudica Primary School and Layer-de-la-Haye Primary School.
Heat 3 will take place on Thursday 9th November at Thomas Lord Audley School, Monkwick Avenue, from 7.00pm, and will feature Colchester High Lower School, Baynards Primary School, St Mary’s Primary School and St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School.
The top two choirs from each heat will go through to the final which will take place on the evening of Wednesday 15th November at the Ivor Crewe Lecture Theatre, University of Essex.
Each choir will perform “Sing Together” by Mark and Helen Johnson and a song of their own choice. The adjudicators, whose job it is to decide the winning choir, are Tony Bloom, Becky Harrington, Emma Hoseason, Abigail Parry and Monica Thomas.
In 2016 the winners of the competition were Dedham C.of.E Primary School and in 2015 joint winners of the competition were Dedham C.of.E Primary School and St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School.
Peter Powell
Peter Powell, President of The Colchester Forum Rotary Club, explains a little of what the Rotary Club is all about…
Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland (RIBI) is an association of over 1,800 clubs with more than 50,000 members from all walks of life. We welcome new members: female, male, young and old. There are about 1.3 million Rotarians across the world. Our motto is SERVICE BEFORE SELF. We raise money mainly for local community projects and some international ones too. We also organise social events and have fun!
With the Choir Competition we hope to raise funds for EACH, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, but we raise funds for other local charities as well. Internationally, we respond to human tragedies such as earthquakes and we also raise money to support the eradication of polio in the world, and there are now just a few cases left in three countries. Our club is very active in a “hands on” way supporting local schools with both the Junior Choir Competition, Youth Speaks, mock interviews and career talks for older pupils, and a lot more.
This is the fourth year of our Junior Choir Competition and it is lovely to see the children becoming involved and enjoying themselves. Those who take part will remember and benefit from the experience for the rest of their lives.
Finally, when you see our logo and we are out in the rain or in freezing weather at Colchester North Station, or in the entrance hall of a supermarket collecting for a good cause, please support us.
Thompson Smith and Puxon Director Richard Porter is a long-time member of the Colchester Forum Rotary Club.
