Two choirs that have raised thousands for charity combine to form The Vauxhall Luton Male Voice Choir

It comprises members of two very successful local choirs – Vauxhall Male Voice Choir and Luton Male Voice Choir.

Their amalgamation – a direct consequence of the pandemic – was announced on Wednesday (June 15).

Both have delighted audiences at hundreds of concerts over the years and raised thousands for charity.

But both were severely hit by restrictions around Covid.

A spokesperson explained: “Each found themselves well down on chorister numbers. The reduction in size was not uniform across sections, which resulted in an imbalance in the choir choral presentation.

"Search for new members proved fairly fruitless – the few available singers were being shared with many other groups.

"Another reason was finance – reductions in membership, and hence subscriptions, caused significant problems.”

Bookings were also down.

The idea of merging the two was met with enthusiasm and the new 40-strong choir is preparing for its first concert at Limbury Baptist Church on July 23.

This is a particularly significant year for both ensembles - Vauxhall Male Voice Choir would have celebrated its 80th anniversary and Luton its 30th.

The spokesperson continued: “We all agree this is a year to hold a celebration of these notable occasions of our respective choirs’ achievements – an exciting problem to solve and planning has now started.”

> If you’d like to join the choir, you’d be most welcome. Practice is on Wednesdays from 7.30 – 9.30pm at High Town Methodist Church. Just turn up, or ring John Petrie on 01582 762830 for more information.