If Noah had paddled his ark on Carew Millpond to coincide with Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir’s concert at nearby Carew Wesley Chapel he would have felt much at home!

Yet the day-long deluge of biblical proportions on Friday, October 25 failed to dampen the spirits or the turnout of choristers and audience alike.

In welcoming the choir Mim Griffiths recalled that exactly a year earlier, when the choir last sang at the chapel, the weather had been equally ferocious. This latest occasion was to raise funds to redecorate the chapel.

Choir MC Phil Lloyd dedicated the first three items in a varied programme – ‘American Trilogy’, The Lord’s Prayer’ and ‘Battle hymn of the Republic’ - to the memory of American servicemen who were stationed in Pembrokeshire in World War II. Earlier in the week several choir members had been privileged to attend the service and commemoration to the US forces at Carew Control Tower, when a magnificent memorial store was unveiled.

The choir, bolstered by the inclusion of most of the nine new members recruited this year, wedged themselves on the stage.

The sheer numbers of green jacketed choristers posed problems for conductor Christine to see and be seen. Help came from first bass and local resident John Shaw who retrieved a wooden platform for Christine to stand on and keep firm control.

Alyson Griffiths chose pieces from west end shows for her first half solos on flute and the first tenor dynamic duo of Dave Brinn and Matthew John sang the Bachelors’ Sixties classic, ‘I Believe’.

At the interval choir and congregation joined together with ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’ and first bass Ron Rees’ solo was Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, joined in harmony in the choruses by Christine Lloyd who accompanied him.

Choir accompanist duties were shared by Carole Rees and Jenny Griffiths.

Phil Lloyd particularly welcomed two friends he and Christine had made while holidaying in Amsterdam earlier in the year.

Norma Walters and Joyce Bush, both from Redditch, made the trip to Pembrokeshire especially to hear the choir perform, conveniently lodging at the Carew Inn, only yards from the chapel.

This also prompted Phil to dust off one of his store of jokes, reminding the visitors that they were in ‘God’s Country’ – Pembrokeshire.

Thanks were expressed by Deric Brock who praised the choir and contributors for another high quality programme and for their support of the Carew community.

Refreshments were enjoyed in the schoolroom and thanks to the chapel ladies were proposed by choir chairman Tony Ward.

Pics. Steve Lloyd