A CHOIR has celebrated a harmonious ten years of singing together.

Donning their blue shirts and matching scarves, men and women of the Voices Together Community Choir gathered at All Hallows School – home to the choir for the last decade – led by musical director, Valerie Hoppe.

The choir welcomes members from across Farnham – boasting an 80-plus team of choristers.

Speaking to the Herald, Valerie told of how she started the group after leaving the Hart Male Voice Choir “after about 30 years” and was asked to launch a school choir.

The choir was initially funded by All Hallows for the first four years, but the school continues to support the choir and allow them to use their hall.

“Initially, I said I would run it for two years – ten years later I’m still here,” said Valerie, who has conducted choirs since she was 16-years-old.

Valerie fell in love with music at the young age of four, when her father took her to a rugby match at Cardiff Arms Park.

Upon seeing an all-male choir during half time, Valerie told of how she was “so excited by this sound”, that she told her father: “I want to do that.”

Having stuck around with the Voices Together Community Choir for longer than planned, she is one of many to have been with the group for their whole existence so far.

She said: “It is always satisfying if people do stay that long, because it means they are getting something out of it. A total of 37 people turned up at the first rehearsal, and from then on it has gone up.”

The choir has seen their numbers grow across the years, once hosting more than 100 choristers.

She said: “It is fun, and they are a lovely group of people. They are extremely supportive and it really is like one big family.”

The choir meet at All Hallows School on Wednesday evenings, from 6.45pm to 8.45pm.

For information on the choir, visit farnhamvoicestogether.uk