For their latest concert, Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir were wearing their summer-weight short-sleeved shirts, with the addition of a colourful assortment of Christmas ties, some of which had flashing lights, and others with built in tunes, which on one occasion delayed the start of a particular carol.
This tune, 'Jingle Bells', was inaudible to the tie wearer, but clearly heard by most of the first and second tenors, gathered in Ashdale Home for the Elderly at Golden Lane, Pembroke, for their annual round of carols.
This brief concert is a real moment of enjoyment for the choristers, under their conductor, Chris Lloyd, and with Joan Lewis, their resident soprano soloists, because on this particular evening they can throw themselves into what is the main purpose of their foundation, that of 'helping others', and especially so at this Christmas time.
Through a range of well-known carols, with the residents joining in with gusto, the hour or so spent at the home went quickly by, and from 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' to 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas' and from 'Come All Ye Faithful' to 'While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night', the residents' lounge, with its twinkling fairy lights, was filled with the spirit of Christmas.
The choristers were treated to an array of hot mince pies and suitable beverages provided by staff of the home to complete another fulfilling visit to Ashdale.