TWENTY years ago, a dozen men responded to an appeal in the Free Press by Robert Green and Keith Halstead to form a choir in Minehead for male voices.

When they met on March 8, 2000, only two of the 12 were known to each other. Now, choir membership has risen to 42.

They met as usual on March 9 and took a break during rehearsals to celebrate the choir’s 20th anniversary with coffee and cake.

Minehead Male Voice Choir (MVC) held its first ever rehearsal in the bar of a private hotel in Church Road with a borrowed keyboard.

Initially, music was borrowed from Rugby MVC, where Robert had been musical director, and from Warley MVC, with which one of the 12 had previously sung.

Thereafter rehearsals, led by Robert, were held in Townsend House until spring 2001 when, as numbers grew, a move was made to the choir’s current base, Alcombe Methodist Church.

The choir’s first public performance was November 8 2000, a joint concert with Minehead Handbell Ringers.

Of the original 12 singers only Glenn Baker remains as a permanent member, although Vernon Rush may also take part, health and business permitting.

Today, Robert is the choir’s president, Jackie Butterworth is musical director and Monika Balogh the choir’s accompanist.

Minehead MVC has given numerous concerts over the years, raising many thousands of pounds for local and national charities. There have been several concerts with visiting choirs, the most recent being last year with Cor Meribion.

Other highlights include being part of a mass choir in Rugby and in 2019 taking part in the Cornwall International Male Voice Festival, which the choir will again attend in 2021.

n The focal point of the choir’s anniversary year was to have been a concert on Friday, June 5 in the Regal Theatre. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it will now be scheduled for later this year or possibly in 2021, when it would celebrate the choir’s ‘coming of age’ at 21.