HISTORY OF NORTH GAWBER MALE VOICE CHOIR

Founded in or around 1948, the North Gawber Male Voice Choir started out with a group of men getting together for a sing-a-long in their local village pub, in this case the Talbot Inn, Mapplewell. As such, they were originally known as the Talbot Choir.
The Early founders, taken from old photographs owned by a late NGMVC member, included Don Hodgkiss, Don Booth, Edward Sanderson, Chad Rayner, Clarence Storrs, ‘Bit’ Harrrison, Fred Alderson, Clancy Thorpe, Kevin Knighton, Harold Wilson, Wilf Bretton, Tommy Maples, Tommy Hardcastle, Tommy Hutton, Jack Mills, Jack Beachill along with a Clive Seeley (who was the uncle of comedian Charlie Williams) and the ex-miner and Barnsley Labour MP Frank Colllinridge.

It was in 1951 that the Choir became the North Gawber Male Voice Choir, having moved from the Talbot Inn to the Mapplewell Ex-Servicemen’s Club in the precinct (subsequently known as the Tin Hat before closing its doors as a licensed premise).

What started off as a very humble beginning, over the years the choir started to become recognised throughout the country, performing at the likes of York Minster, Liverpool Cathedral and the Sheffield City Hall. They even appeared with Shirley Bassey at the Cardiff Arms Park along with 10,000 other voices. Our early research could only find this reference to such a performance and so we would surmise that this momentous occasion took place in 1993.

Early records show that the NGMVC has been a lengthy supporter of Mapplewell & Staincross Village Hall with records dating back to 2003 for their first weekly rehearsal, but as we delve deeper into our archives, the likelihood is that their roots will be greater intertwined with every possibility that the hall hosted a number of concerts and events – as they still do to this day.

Under the current musical direction of Keith Lodge, the choir is still singing where many others have folded, a tribute to their hard work and dedication shown by many different members over the years. They have raised many thousands of pounds for different charities and given a lot of pleasure to many listeners in the past.

DISCLAIMER

The information gathered in producing this website to promote Mapplewell and Darton East Ward’s success and support all businesses and community groups in the area, has been done in good faith using any information available to us through our basic research. As a result errors and omissions may occur from time to time or information can become out of date. To correct any errors, to update our records, to add additional information, to remove a business or group or for any other reason please email: mappvillagehall@yahoo.co.uk and your request will be dealt with promptly. Similarly, we are always keen to add new entries and keep our ‘what’s on’ guide relevant to a changing community.