It’s said there are more choirs in this country than fish and chip shops – and numbers are growing all the time. HILARIE STELFOX reports on the choral phenomenon and meets the members of Huddersfield’s latest all-ages vocal ensemble

WHEN music teacher Alison North advertised for members of a new community choir in Lindley she was astonished by the response.

She explained: “We put out 80 chairs – and that was optimistic we thought – but in the end 120 people turned up. It was amazing.”

That initial taster session in early May was no flash in the pan. Every Monday evening since then, the hall at Lindley Junior School has been packed with enthusiastic singers of all ages from four-years-old to 65 and beyond.

Children, former pupils, teenagers, parents and grandparents have turned out to share the experience of singing together.

The Huddersfield area has always had a strong choral tradition, but communal singing is also a growing modern phenomenon.

The BBC’s Last Choir Standing series in 2008 proved to be incredibly popular and resulted in a huge upsurge of interest.

The National Association of Choirs boasts more than 550 registered member choirs but these are only a small percentage of all the nation’s choral groups.

Numerous psychological studies have shown that singing together is immensely beneficial. It supports a sense of being part of a community, boosts self-esteem, raises happiness levels and can even counteract pain.

Alison, who is a part-time teacher at Lindley Junior School and a former semi-professional singer, is an accomplished choir leader.

It was she who founded the school’s successful 60-strong competitive choir which has won many awards and national acclaim.

She also leads two further choirs in school – a training choir of 100, to which any pupil can belong without auditioning – and a boys’ choir of 120.

She said: “We started the boys’ choir because the training choir was perceived as a girls’ choir.’’

The new community choir was funded by a £1,000 Kirklees Council Locality Grant, which pays for sheet music and performance fees and will run until the end of the school summer term.

The future of the choir after that has yet to be decided, but its members are hoping to continue singing.

Among those who have become enthusiastic choristers are three generations of a family – grandparents Eileen and Ian Hall from Oakes and their daughter Karol Ball, her husband Ian and their three children Kira, 12, Liana, 10, and eight-year-old Kian from Lindley.

Liana is a former member of Lindley Junior School Choir and her sister, Kira, now a pupil at Salendine Nook High School, is a former member.

Their parents and grandparents have been keen supporters of the choir over the years, travelling with them to competitions all over the country, including the Welsh Eisteddfod and the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham.

“We’ve always really enjoyed hearing the choirs sing,” said mum Karol, who is a learning support assistant at Lindley School.

“And now we can come and sing together and do it ourselves. It’s another activity that we can do as a family.”

Grandma Eileen, 58, said she had never believed she could sing.

“I thought I’d have to mime, but I don’t,’’ she said. “I really enjoy it.”

And dad Ian, 38, a plumber, is perhaps the most enthusiastic supporter of them all. He added: “When I first went to hear the school choir I can remember thinking that it would be all hymns and that sort of thing. But it wasn’t, it was quite emotional and my bottom lip went. It wasn’t what I expected at all.

“Joining the choir has been fantastic. The only singing I ever did was in the shower and I have been really surprised by how much I enjoy it.

“I came along for the children but now I’m doing it for me.”

Ian is also delighted that his son, Kian, has joined.

“When we were kids it was difficult for a boy to get involved with a choir – it was frowned upon,’’ he said. “But he plays football and wants to be in the choir as well and enjoys singing.”

Everyone agrees that one of the reasons for the community choir’s immediate success is Alison’s leadership.

“You need a teacher to inspire you and Alison is very animated to watch,” said Karol. “You can see the joy she gets from singing and she is passing this onto the children.”

Lindley headteacher Pat Thompson, also a member of the community choir, added: “Alison has enormous talents. She is not only a brilliant teacher but she is a superb singer and brings the two together with passion and fun.”

Alison’s daughter, four-year-old Madeleine, is the choir’s youngest member and comes along with her dad, Lee.

“I have always sung,” said Alison. “My granny was my first singing teacher when I was about 11. I sang with an acapella group in Harrogate for 14 years and I used to be in the West Riding Singers. There is a definite feelgood factor to singing as a group.”

Alison founded Lindley School Choir in 1999 after encouragement from Pat.

Lindley is now a Platinum Sing Up school – one of only 40 in the country.

This means that the school has a responsibility to help other schools to set up choirs and get children singing. It is part of the Government’s national singing programme for junior school pupils.

“We work in partnership with the local authority,” said Alison. “We introduce singing into schools where there wasn’t very much singing going on.”

Pat says that the benefits of singing in school are immediately noticeable. “Singing for children builds confidence, self-esteem, aids their concentration, develops memory and gives enormous amounts of pleasure,” she explained.

“What we have seen is a significant increase in children’s problem solving skills, their ‘I can do it’ attitude, perseverance and collaborative partnerships with other children.”

The all-ages community choir will be performing at the Kirklees School Council summit in Huddersfield Town Hall tomorrow.