Choral singing has proven health benefits, enriches social lives, provides uplifting entertainment and yet costs participants little more than a couple of hours a week. All selling points that the members of Honley Male Voice Choir hope to put across with a free concert of show tunes at Holmfirth Civic Hall on Friday, October 30.

The concert, Come and Join Us, is part of a recruitment drive to encourage new members to come along and share the pleasure of being a chorister.

As the group’s publicity officer Chris Rogers explains: “Joining Honley is one of those things that I will never look back on with regret. It’s such a great amount of fun. You get to sing a wide variety of music and get to meet some great people. This concert is a new departure for us, it’s not just for our normal paying audience, we’re hoping that new people will come along, hear us and decide they’d like to join us.”

Honley currently has a membership of over 100, of which between 60 and 65 are singing members and appear regularly at concerts. The men are looking for singers for all sections of the choir and promise that no-one will be made to audition. “Our choir members don’t have to be able to read music and they don’t have to be from Honley,” said Chris, who lives in Fixby, “but they should love music and be able to carry a tune.”

The choir meets weekly on Tuesday evenings at Honley Nursery and Infants School (from 7.30pm) and promises to give new members a warm welcome. As chairman David Hinchliffe says: “It took me a long time to pluck up the courage to join the choir. I wish I had done it years ago and now urge any men who can sing to come along. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming and there’s great camaraderie. They will not regret it.”

HMVC was formed in 1936 and will be celebrating its 80th birthday next year. Last year it achieved charitable status but over the years the group has raised many thousands of pounds for other local and national charities. The choir is conducted by experienced choral director Steven Roberts and travels far and wide to sing and compete. In recent years the men have sung everywhere from Bolton Abbey to the National Choir Competition in Cornwall. They have appeared twice with internationally-renowned soprano Lesley Garrett at Huddersfield Town Hall.

“There’s a great social side to the choir as well,” says Chris. “We have a ladies section for partners and they organise events such as coffee mornings, Christmas fairs and quizzes - fundraisers for the choir. We also have an annual bowling night and there’s lots of ‘apres-singing’ in the pub after rehearsals.”

Come and Join Us starts at 7.30pm. Tickets, while free, are limited and need to be secured from Holmfirth Tourist Office 01484 222444; Gail at The Flower Box in Meltham 01484 850771; or The Gallery Cafe, Honley, 01484 666144.

For more information about the choir visit www.honleymvc.co.uk