Foxes on the Common!

Frenchay Foxes ladies choir met up again for a picnic on the Common, prior to the resumption of their weekly practices in Frenchay Village Hall as will start in September after a long 18 month break. The Choir Director, Fran Bolton, seen here on the left with a choir member, one of 25 or so attending the picnic, is really looking forward to leading the singing once again and gave this message explaining what Frenchay Foxes is all about:

“Think you can’t sing? Haven’t sung since school? A bit of an X-Factor wannabe? Almost ten years ago, if you lived in or near Frenchay, you may have seen these questions on one of the many posters that went up in the neighbourhood, advertising the start of a brand new community choir for women: The Frenchay Foxes.

Around 30 women answered yes to at least one of those questions and, further comforted by there being no auditions and no need to read music, they turned up at the village hall one Wednesday afternoon in September, not knowing quite what to expect and feeling a little nervous; a couple of hours later, having met new people, sung new songs and laughed way more than they had expected, the new recruits were hooked!

Ten years on and the choir is still going strong, with around 60 members who meet every week to sing, chat and laugh. Of course, we’ve not been able to meet for the past 18 months, and we’ve really missed our weekly Foxes fix, but we’re aiming to start again in September, catch up with our Foxy friends and oil our rusty voices!! "

Fran Bolton

And also Making the News!

Another choir celebrating a return to music was The Great Day Choir, a ladies choir based in Mangotsfield but with a strong Frenchay contingent.. On the 17th July, the day when indoor singing in groups was again permitted, they were featured on BBC Points West, as well as on some bulletins of the national News, expressing their happiness to be back singing together again.