Happy Christmas Everyone!

A Christmas Thank You from Lauren and and Your Thoughts.

Published On:

Wednesday, 25 December 2024 18:25

Review of the Year 

What a fabulous year we've had at Love Pop Choir, incredibly busy but amazing fun as always, helping to raise thousands of pounds for charity along the way! 

We performed at 35 events this year, our most notable ones being the Choir Festival, Wedding Flash Mob, Sing4Stroke, Ripon Cathedral, Fountains Abbey and the Harrogate Band Concert. These were all large scale choir events so lots of you lovely ladies were able to be a part of them.

We were delighted to be awarded the Yorkshire Prestige Award for Community Choir of the Year 2023/24 . This is the 2nd year running that we've won the award and as an extra bonus, this year we were also awarded the 2023/24 Best of the Best award in the Community Choir category. We are so honoured to achieve this, especially as we didn't put ourselves forward.  We were recognised by a panel of industry experts who reviewed our website, social media photos and choir reviews to determine us the winners amongst all the other choirs reviewed in the same category. The panel said it was obvious how much our ladies enjoyed themselves at our groups and events, so thank you all for your enthusiasm! 

The Autumn term has being full of activity, since September we have welcomed the super talented Katie Billes to our team of Choir Directors, re-launched our Ilkley choir, re-located our Roundhay choir to Headingley, launched our new Boroughbridge choir and proudly made our Sing4stroke video of Halo raising an incredible £1252 for the charity. We performed at 16 fabulous Autumn/Christmas events, battling through blizzards, storms, floods and occasionally enjoying a bit of Winter sunshine. 

Wow it sounds such a lot when your write it down, now I know why I am looking forward to a relaxing Christmas break! 

Thanks

We are so lucky to have a fabulous team of talented Choir Directors at Love Pop Choir who work hard to ensure that everyone has a great time both at weekly rehearsals and at performances. Myself, Joanne, Katie and Shane love leading our groups, it's an absolute privilege to share the joy of music and singing with you. I am so grateful to work alongside such a fantastic team, thank you all.  

Love Pop Choir is also very fortunate to have several volunteers who give their time, talents and energy to support us and I can't thank them enough. I really don't know how we would manage without them.

But of course, none of this could happen without you, our amazing ladies who join us at choir each week, taking time to learn lyrics and harmonies, join us at our performances and so generously support us with our charity work. Your support is invaluable and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of our wonderful choir family.  

We are back singing in the week commencing 6th of January 2025 and we can't wait to start another exciting term with you all.  

Until then have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.🎄 

Lots of love from Lauren and all the team at Love Pop Choir. xxx 

Your Thoughts  

Our amazing choir is only as good as the people who are a part of it, our fantastic Choir Directors and, of course all of you wonderful ladies who join us each week to sing your hearts out. ❤ 

My absolute favourite part of running our choir is reading all the supportive and heartfelt messages we receive from you. Now and then I like to share some of them so you can enjoy them too.  Here are just some of your recent thoughts and comments, in your own words, there are many, many more . 

So settle down with a drink of something nice and have a read, it's so uplifting it will really give you a boost, it certainly makes me feel wonderful.❤

🎶✨🎶✨🎶

If you have ever wanted to join a choir then join this one! Sign up for the taster and I bet you’ll be hooked!  It’s full of inspirational women who join together for an hour and a half to sing their hearts out. You’ll leave feeling uplifted and singing the songs all the way home! X

     Just had to message to say how wonderful yesterday was. Can’t remember if I told you, I went to Ripon cathedral choir school so used to sing in the cathedral a fair bit. Yesterday made me so happy and we sounded amazing especially the o holy night , hallelujah, candlelight ones. The harmonies and acoustics were wonderful. Thank you!X  

 Lauren is the most wonderful choir leader. One evening a week where we get to sing, enjoy ourselves, make friends and feel amazing! Well what a great night that was. 

Thank you Joanne Marie. Loved every minute of ABBA with Love Pop Choir. How lucky am I to have this choir on my doorstep! Not even the passing Chinook Helicopter could stop us singing! x  

 If you are thinking of joining a choir then Love Pop Choir is the one to join. Great uplifting songs. Great choir directors. Best decision I ever made to joining them 18 months ago.

  What a fantastic second Christmas concert at The Latvian club last night. The magic moment was when we gathered around the grand  piano to sing some of our songs. Just beautiful. Oh and not forgetting The 12 Days of Christmas when everyone in the audience stood up to do the actions with us.  Shane Durrant thank you for all your hard work and enthusiasm. Please have a well deserved rest over the Christmas period.

Just wanted to say thanks, I’ve absolutely loved my first half term

  I really enjoyed Katie’s sessions at Cookridge and Ilkley. She made the sessions so much fun, she made the songs easy to learn and her voice is amazing! x  

 It's hard to believe that this is the first time these fab ladies have sung together. Huge credit to Lauren's teaching skills that we were able to sing three songs in harmony and produce a good sound. This choir is going to be full quite soon. Make sure you're part of it !

  We’ve had an amazing term with you, Jo! Enjoy a well-deserved break over Christmas. See you in the new year! Xx 

 Really enjoyed my taster session tonight and paid the the remaining sessions of September. Lovely meeting you ladies xx

  What a great night. I think the video shows how much we all enjoyed it!   

 Please pass on my thanks and congratulations to Love Pop Choir Boroughbridge. I was very impressed with the quality and so much music learnt in such a short time. But maybe more importantly was the way everyone in the choir loved being part of it and that must be down to the skill of Lauren. How brilliant Minskip hall gets the chance to host the choir weekly. 

LOVED THAT GIG! just fabby, thank you all  

 My girls loved it - and we’re still raving about it this morning (and Shane… they loved Shane ) X  

Thank you Katie for making my first choir term so much fun and to all the lovely ladies in the choir see you all for next term 

 Little Lauren, I’m ridiculously proud of you. Hope seeing 80+women come together from all of your choirs to sound so amazing has helped you realise that all your hard work is worth it 💋 

 Great evening, great company, really enjoyed it. Looking forward to next week already. 

     Video looks fab Joanne!!!! What a great night  So good for the soul ... Loved it today .. xx  

 Choir makes me happy. Fact.

 We both really enjoyed your fab new choir !!  What a lovely bunch of ladies they were covering the full range of ages . So very responsive and enthusiastic for a first session and many of them seemed keen to join. There was just such a happy buzzy atmosphere . I'm sure there'll be lots of ladies singing your praises today !!  

Shane - thankyou - you are wonderful! Love this, our choir and most of all our community 

   Loved singing with Katie at Cookridge love pop choir, an energetic and fun session. Shotgun will always remind me of her!   What a fun evening!! Signed up and ready for next week   

 Thanks very much to all who worked hard to make last night a success. It was very well organised and I was delighted with my raffle prize! Looking forward to Ripon.  

 I'm still buzzing ... thank you Lauren for an amazing experience! 

 Aww I loved that, what a great, happy evening. Thanks Joanne and everyone for joining in and having a fun time. 

 Loving Boroughbridge love pop choir! So lovely to sing with fab new voices xx

So proud to be part of the Saltaire group. Such a gorgeous tribute to my beautiful, funny and loving mum. I'll never forget this tribute to her. Shane Durrant you really are the best. X  

 My dad loved the harmonies and said we sounded beautiful. O holy night had him filling up as it was my mum’s favourite carol. He was so impressed he’s now coming along on the 19th to hear us with the brass band. I was so pleased he’d enjoyed it so much. X

  Love being part of this choir x  

 Lauren, your amazing choir has made me so fulfilled, thank you for being the absolute star that you are. xxx ⭐♥ 

 Sounds fabulous, what a great evening, meeting and singing with everyone

 One lovely gentleman afterwards came to shake my hand and congratulate us on a superb concert and said to me “you have such energy and enthusiasm and it really shows in the singing. You can see how that inspires the ladies!” … that made my night x  

.     My mum was overwhelmed and proud … and my daughter loved it too 

 A fabulous night! Thanks Joanne.  

 Loved singing with Katie she is so much fun

   Hi Lauren - thank you so much for yesterday, all your hard work paid off it was absolutely amazing I loved every minute!  

 Fountains Abbey was as magical as I’d hoped! Nothing funnier than seeing about 80 women walking down a hill in Love Pop Choir Santa hats!!!!  Can’t feel my fingers thou! 🥶 

  Merry Christmas everyone at Love Pop! Has been great singing at so many lovely festive events. Thanks Joanne and enjoy your well-deserved rest; look after yourself xxx  

 Absolutely fantastic, so proud to be part of Love Pop Choir.  

Absolutely amazing  I loved our amazing afternoon singing at Fountains Abbey. Thanks to everyone who organised this or took  part. It’s so special when we all sing together. Xx

It was just amazing. Loved it. xx  

 This is fabulous, thank you so much for arranging the day and for sharing all the photos and videos. So lovely to have all this to look back on

This is so beautiful. It looks and sounds great. Thank you for all you do for us Shane. So proud to be part of this amazing choir. 

 Making memories and sounding AMAZING. .

 WOW!!! Just WOW that is so awesome. Loved being part of it and what a great amount of money raised! X  

 Thank you Katie look forward to seeing everyone at Cookridge on Tuesday   

 It was fabulous! We are all so proud of you Lauren 

WOW ….. amazing work tonight guys … I was overwhelmed by how lovely we sounded, how smoothly it all ran, the comradery, the overall atmosphere …. Stunning xxxx have had SO MUCH amazing positive feedback …. Best gig yet I reckon x 

     So proud to be a part of this amazing group! Best thing I decided to get involved with!

    Lucky Headingley ladies. Join Love Pop Choir for fantastic nights of singing and laughter. x  

 Lauren thanks for all the time and effort you have put in to arranging this. It takes so much work to arrange all the different events you have lined up for us for Christmas. Thanks for giving us all so many fabulous times.♥ 

 Gorgeous, Lauren! Congratulations! 

  So glad we are having another concert with the band, last year was such fun and a real experience to sing with a brass band. Loved it.

 Thanks so much for organising the two events this weekend and battling through feeling rough, Joanne Marie! Really enjoyed both events

  An absolute joy to sing at Fountains on Saturday.  

My family loved it, they said the song choices were perfect and it made them feel really christmassy ( if that's a word ) 

 Congratulations Lauren on the Brass Band Concert a truly memorable night for us all.

 Really enjoyed tonight, such a friendly group and we sound so good together. 

  Ooo sounds good. Was a fab evening and really appreciate all hard work by Lauren Joanne and Katie for getting us to where we are. Looking forward to Ripon.  

 Lauren has brought us so far since we first started singing way back in Guiseley. Joanne Marie and Lauren have been amazing, best Christmas choir yet.  

 Fantastic, what a brilliant evening. xx 

 I absolutely loved it, what a beautiful sound from the blended voices ladies.  Shane you're amazing as ever you looked very dapper too!  The atmospheric setting was magical and I'm looking forward to seeing the videos and pics! Well done everyone xxx 

 Beautiful, LPC! You are all amazing!  xx  

 Lauren, my lovely; what you achieve for us is phenomenal! Hugs and love. xxx

From all of us at LPC Saltaire, we want to say thank you so very much for bringing such joy into our lives each Monday - you are an absolute superstar and we all appreciate you very much!!   

  Lauren you must be so proud of what you have achieved. When people ask me how long I have been in the choir and I can say singing with you since I retired (2012-2013!!) it has just been such a wonderful time to be part of your fantastic journey. Last night was brilliant,. 

 Really loved tonight. What a great sing and the band were wonderful. I absolutely loved the evening. Never sang with a brass band before. Powerful when the two combine. Really enjoyed bopping away and singing at the same time. There’s real power in your choirs coming together. I tell you what Lauren you have been brilliant and I was very proud to see you introduce our choir and joking with the audience! Credit to the brass band conductor - he has an incredible bunch of musicians on his side. x 

 Being part of Love Pop Choir is incredible. The wonderful ladies I've met and get to sing with every week is just joyful. 

Wow wow wow Absolutely beautiful  

 Lauren, you really are amazing, you make us all so happy, thanks for making choir such a great place to be, my absolute  happy place. x ❤

An absolute joy to be part of Love Pop Choir, best time of my life xx

   So proud to be part of this amazing group Love Pop Choir...keep on singing, shining and spreading the love xxxx