Fifth charity concert in 2022 by Mansfield and District Male Voice Choir
Having been involved in raising over £6,000 so far in 2022, on 23rd July at St. John’s Church, Mansfield, the Mansfield and District Male Voice Choir staged their fifth local charity concert of the year.
The concert featured not only the choir but the talented young musicians of the Joseph Whitaker and Redhill Academy Jazz Group. The group, led by their Musical Director Carolyn Beedle, have performed with the choir earlier this year for one of the Ukraine benefit concerts at the Village Hall in Ravenshead. The sound made by the group was electrifying and the audience couldn’t help but tap their feet, clap their hands and become totally engrossed in the professional performance. The choir performed a mixture of male voice choir standards and favourites as well as some very entertaining new songs from the modern era. Musical Director Ian Grice has skilfully prepared the choir to a great sound and it was another cracking event.
The charity on this occasion was the The National Association of Blood Bikes who are a rapid response, motorcycle-based charity, run by unpaid volunteers including Airline Pilots, Paramedics, Plumbers, Builders, Teachers, Vicars, Police officers, Professors and many more. Products and services collected and delivered include blood, human donor milk and faecal microbiome transplant material. The association of over 40 blood bike groups annually deliver over 100,000 items to the NHS & Health and Safety Executive, free of charge!
In the last 12 years blood bikes groups numbers have grown so that the UK mainland now has a ‘coast to coast’ blood bike service and is now considered an integral part of the NHS front line services, delivering a robust service to professional standards. The mandate of the National Association is to work towards parity with other front line emergency services in terms of legislative support and recognition by various government departments and agencies on national topics. So, the next time you see a blood bike on the road, remember that the rider is an unpaid volunteer, working to professional standards and providing a free service to the NHS.
This concert was requested by the family of Jean and Denis Hales. Both Jean and Denis gave sterling service to the choir for many years as choir committee members, Jean as Secretary and Denis as Deputy Chairman and Social Secretary. We were honoured to take up the family’s request in memory of these two stalwarts of the choir.
At a Tuesday evening practice, a cheque for £1,050 was presented by Choir President, David Marriott to Blood Bikes former Chairman John Devlin.
Franck van Huesen, dressed in his motorcycle equipment brought along his £18,000 Yamaha FJR 1300 motorcycle to demonstrate his voluntary work. Ian Grice and John Wakeland are also shown at the presentation. The two Blood Bikes representatives attended and enjoyed the choir rehearsal and asked numerous questions about the choir but as their blood bikes commitments take priority they are, unfortunately, unlikely to become choir members.