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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.
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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.
The communities of the South Hams have long, deep rooted ties with those organisations that serve to protect and save not only the sailors and fishermen local to these communities but also those visitors who pass by our shores or are staying here on vacation and enjoying our beaches and watersport facilities. With this in mind Heather Spencer, 2026 Ladies' Captain at Thurlestone Golf Club, organised a charity evening of fun, food, friendship and fundraising in aid of her chosen charity for her year, the new RNLI Lifeboat at Salcombe. The Salcombe Larks and The Kingsmen Harmony Chorus brought together an eclectic mix of songs from their repertoires, including music from The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkle, Neil Diamond (and many more) and entertained the packed clubhouse either side of a splendid buffet supper prepared by the TGC catering team. 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 It was a particularly poignant event for the many of the performers. The Salcombe Larks originate from the town of Salcombe and the Kingsmen hail from Kingsbridge, both groups are closely associated with the South Hams RNLI. Some have immediate family connections too. Gary Rowe, the Kingsmen Musical Director, is the son of Raymond Rowe who was 2nd Cox at Salcombe for many years. Raymond won a bravery award for his role in a hazardous resume of a distressed vessel, the Janet C, off Start Point. He also appeared in the TV Series Lifeboat in the 90's. Ian Wooler, our Assistant MD, also has close family connections to the Eastbourne RNLI station. One of his Great Uncles, James (Jim) Hall was a member of the Eastbourne Lifeboat Crew for 45 years and received several awards for bravery and long service. Jim's Niece (Ian's Mum) raised money for the RNLI throughout her life. The event raised several hundred pounds in aid of the charity and both chorus groups were more than happy to perform free of charge to help.
The Kingsmen Welcome New Recruit Rob Loader
Congratulations to Chris Collins on passing his voice assessment
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