Christmas Blogs
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Christmas
The Kingsmen have enjoyed a very busy time of sing-outs in the run up to Christmas 2022 - bringing song, joy and a spirit of harmony to local groups, communities and charities in South Hams, Devon.
The Kingsmen Barbershop Harmony Chorus were delighted to support Horsemanship for Health CIC at a fundraiser hosted by St. Lukes Church, Milber, Newton Abbot in recognition of the great work being done in support of people struggling with their mental health.
He had an idea to see what interest there might be in forming a men’s Barbershop harmony chorus. That was 30 years ago in the Autumn of 1991. Roy Hann (Founder and Honorary Life President) could never imagine what he had started when 12 men turned up at the Crabshell Inn, Kingsbridge all those years ago. Fast forward 30 years and looking back with pride at the achievements of the Kingsmen, he has decided to hand over the role of Musical Director to assistant MD,Gary Rowe.
Our first public appearance for almost 2 years took place at the Thurlestone Hotel this week. Invited to be a part of their Christmas Craft Fair, The Kingsmen added some Christmas sparkle to the event which raised funds for the Salcombe and Hope Cove RNLI.
Tickets are available for our Christmas Celebrations at the Watermark Theatre, Ivybridge on Friday 10th December at 7pm, tickets are £12.50 and £10.50 Concessions.
Christmas with The Kingsmen
Every year for the last 27 years on Christmas Eve, The Kingsmen have performed at The Cottage Hotel at Hope Cove in South Devon. So when the owner thanked us after last year’s show and said, ‘Same again next year please’, little did any of us know what was around the corner.
What do you get when you connect two local Choruses together on a cold and wet night in December? If this sounds a bit like the start of a Christmas Cracker joke, then the answer has to be ‘organised chaos’!
The popularity of The Kingsmen reached new heights in 2019 with some memorable events, such as singing on Paddington Railway Station to kick off the Mayflower 400 celebrations, helping to celebrate the birthday of a 104 year old, entertaining staff and families on the Children’s Ward at Derriford Hospital, or singing live on BBC Radio Devon.
A small group of Kingsmen offered to sing for the children’s, parents and staff at Derriford Hospital Children’s Ward. One of the guys grandchildren is a regular visitor to the HDU suffering from chronic asthma and he thought it would be nice to give something back.
The Kingsmen have had a really busy festive season with many paid performances and a lot of charity ones too, ranging from singing for the Children's Hospice South West at Princesshay in Exeter to singing on Christmas Eve at the Buckland Tout Saints Hotel and the Cottage Hotel, Hope Cove.
LATEST FROM THE BLOG
After a great summer with performances at South Pool's "Up The Creek" event and the August Bank Holiday "Hope Cove Weekend" we are pleased to announce that we will be soon performing at Malborough Village Hall. Please come and join us on Friday 9th October when we perform at the Rotary Charity Concert supporting Kingsbridge in Bloom, a local charity whose volunteers work tirelessly to enhance the natural beauty of Kingsbridge. For ticket details please use the following link: www.estuaryrotary.org.uk , or for more information please click on the image below. Hope to see you there.
It's difficult to think of a better way to spend an evening than with the joy and harmony of song; enriched by the camaraderie, fun and friendship associated with being a member of a Chorus; and blessed by the sharing of precious moments with family and friends - all gathering to celebrate success; recognise and reward achievement; and mark significant milestones. But this is what the Kingsmen Barbershop Harmony Chorus https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/ has just done; and done in style. On display to greet attendees at the Awards Evening were items from the Club's archives, including an array of scrap books containing photographs and articles telling the story of the Club from the very first rehearsal attended by 12 guys at the Crabshell Pub in Kingsbridge in the Autumn of 1991; through tours (including 3 to the USA); results from competitions; and money (well over £100k) raised for various Charities. And inevitably, the page turning led to the sharing of stories, laughter and the recollection of happy memories. Chairman Paul Harvey opened proceedings with a warm Kingsmen welcome and handed over to Stu Newberry who took on the role as Master of Ceremonies. Stu guided attendees through the presentation and award of: the Harmony Award (recipient Kevin Hamer); the Jack Nation Trophy (recipient Chris Lambart); the Director's Award (recipient Ian Wooler); and the Barbershopper of the Year Award (recipient Kevin Hamer). Several Kingsmen also received Long Service Awards (the Club is a Member of the British Association of Barbershop Singers - https://www.singbarbershop.com/ ). 10 Year Badges were presented to Jim Stewart, Terry Weeks; Kevin Hamer and Ian Wooler (and will be to Charles Harrington, Geoff Sharps and Shaun Fewtrell - all of whom were unable to attend the event); a 20 Year Badge was presented to Gary Rowe; and 30 Year Badges were presented to Tim Wyatt and Steve Hancock. The evening culminated with the presentation by Chairman Paul Harvey of a special award - to Roy Hann, who founded the Chorus back in 1991 and who was the Musical Director for 30 years. The award was a glass trophy engraved with the words 'From your Brothers in Harmony. In celebration of your unwavering dedication, musical passion, and your 35 year milestone in founding the Chorus'. And you've guessed it - the celebrations continued at an Afterglow at a local pub, where more singing, fun and friendship was in abundance. Fancy having a go at singing? Want to join in the fun? If so, why not come along to one of our Rehearsals? You'll be guaranteed of receiving a big, warm Kingsmen welcome - and who knows, this time next year, you could be an award winner! For further information about the Kingsmen and Membership check out the following links: https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/become-a-member and https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/
Serene, Scenic, Spectacular
Howdy....
It's been Kingsbridge Fair Week recently and it was a joy to help kick things off to a great musical start. Dressed in our best and brightest Hawaiian shirts, the Kingsmen sang and entertained a lively audience from the Bandstand in the Town Square on an afternoon and evening of local entertainment, which ended with a firework display. If you were one of the men in the audience who enjoyed our performance and you like singing, then why not come along and visit us on a rehearsal night and join in the fun and camaraderie https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/become-a-member Kingsbridge is the hometown of the Kingsmen and we are celebrating our 35 anniversary this year. We like nothing better than supporting local events and charities; so keep an eye on the Upcoming Events link on our website to find out where we are singing and performing over the coming weeks and months. Hope to see you there! https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/ With thanks to Rebecca Rowe for taking these photos.
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