On Friday, May 25, two of the very best local choirs will come together at a concert at St. Gwynog's Church, St. Twynnells. The Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir and the Stackpole School Choir will be performing together on the Friday evening.

Pembroke Male Voice Choir is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

The talented youngsters of Stackpole School also have something to celebrate, having won the competition which the Pembroke Male Voice Choir hold, for three years in succession. This is a well-deserved triumph as the children and their leader Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas have worked extremely hard to reach and maintain this high standard.

In March, the Male Voice Choir performed at their 60th anniversary gala concert with the Band of the Welsh Guards at the Garrison Chapel in Pembroke Dock, and then just four days later they took part in the Massed 1,000 Voices concert at the Manchester Arena.

For the choir, it all began on October 14, 1952, when an advert in a local paper asked that anyone interested in forming a male voice choir should meet at Wesley Chapel. Soon 50 members attended the practices and by March 28, 1953, they were giving their first concert.

The founder conductor was the late Mr. W. P. ('Bill') Lewis MBE and he conducted the choir for over 47 years. His daughter Christine is the present conductor so the family tradition continues. Christine and her husband Mr. Phil Lloyd, the choir's secretary and MC, do a wonderful job in maintaining the choir's success and coping with the constant demand for its services, as the choir is often booked 18 months ahead.

Today, the choir travels widely, by invitation, and they perform regularly at the Royal Albert Hall, London, as part of the Masses Voices concerts.

The choir has gone from strength to strength and summarises its beliefs as 'the love of music and singing and the pleasure it brings to choristers and audience' and 'to be a force for good, serve and help the community to raise funds for local good causes'.

No one can dispute that the choir puts tremendous effort into upholding these beliefs.

At 7 pm on Friday, May 25, the two choirs will be performing in St. Twynnells.

Tickets for the concert can be purchased at £5 each from the Pembroke Bookshop, Main Street, Pembroke.