There’s an air of optimism surrounding the Gotherington Singers, one of the longest running and successful vocal groups in the county.

The all-female choir recently returned for a new term with a brand-new Musical Director in charge and the enthusiasm for their weekly rehearsals has never been higher, according to long-term member Viv Nicholson.

She said: “We were all so excited when Sandra Burne agreed to become our new Musical Director. She’s replacing Jane Ward Watts who did a superb job in her three and a half years with us. Sandra has done a couple of sessions with us, she brings a wealth of musical experience and we’re all so thrilled to be working alongside her.

“We sing a real eclectic mix of songs, although we don’t sing pop music. We love singing songs from famous plays, up-tempo pieces that are fun to sing. We take our music very seriously, but we always ensure we have a lot of fun as well.

“We get together every Monday. It’s really satisfying to see how the choir has grown from the early years, we now get members turning up from all over Gloucestershire. We alternate our rehearsal sessions between Gotherington and Cheltenham.”

The choir currently has just under 40 members but are looking to add to their numbers, as Viv explained: “We would love to hear from anyone who wants to join us. We don’t have an audition, we’re here to help new members feel at home, we will give them tapes to learn the music from. We don’t stand up and read the music, we learn everything.

“My advice for anyone wanting to join us would be to pop along to one of our weekly sessions and meet the gang. We’re a very friendly lot, we all look out for each other and we’d love to hear from anyone who is interested in becoming a member.”

Viv has enjoyed many happy years with the Gotherington Singers, and there’s one performance that she remembers with particular fondness. She explained: “We won the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts in the early 1990s. That was a cherished memory for everyone involved.

“We’ve had some wonderful times over the years. We’ve been on tours to Belgium, Jersey, Spain, Italy, Poland and Germany. Performing alongside your friends is such a thrill, no matter how many times I’ve done it I still get excited when I get up on stage.”

The choir’s next big performance comes a week before Christmas and preparations have already begun. Viv added: “We’ll be spending the next couple of months preparing for our Christmas Concert on 19th December at St Nicolas’ Church in Cheltenham. It’s always one of the highlights of the year for us, a lot of planning and preparation goes into the evening.”