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Caldicot Choir sings at Asda Store Opening

 

Photographs by Colleen Gauntlett.  Left click on the images to enlarge.

 

On a cold, wet, windy October 13th morning the choir assembled inside the new ASDA store in Caldicot while hundreds queued in the pouring rain around the car park, waiting to be the first to enter .  Ten o’clock arrived as local heroine Imogen  Ashwell-Lewis accompanied by her mother Catherine Ashwell-Rice, Caldicot Mayor, Alan Davies and dozens of balloon waving, cheering children from Durand Primary School, cut the green and yellow ASDA ribbon to allow the hundred of shoppers inside to enthusiastically begin their new shopping experience.

 

Conducted by John Nicholson and accompanied by Stephen Berry almost fifty members of Caldicot Male Voice Choir simultaneously struck up with the sound of ‘Llanfair’ a rousing Welsh hymn.  This was followed by the Everley Brothers hit, ‘Let it be Me, then ‘Somewhere out There’ and ‘Stout Hearted Men’.  You needed to be stout to brave this weather and the crush of these crowds.  As the mass of shoppers passed through the door the choir continued with ‘Llef’ – O Iesu Mawr, another rousing Welsh hymn and Elvis Presley’s ‘Only Fools Rush in’ – no pun intended, it’s just a lovely song.  Judging by the smiles, the customers couldn’t help falling in love with the new Asda either.

 

More songs followed, including  ‘You Raise Me Up’ and finally after nearly thirty minutes of continuous singing, the choir concluded its welcome to customers as the last of the queues filtered in, with the patriotic Welsh song ‘O Gymru’ as Tom Hole sung the solo.

 

This was the first time in its history that the choir had been invited to assist in the opening of a local store and we all had a thoroughly enjoyable morning as guests of the new Asda in Caldicot.  Many of the Asda staff, including Events coordinator  and Community Champion for Asda Logistics in Chepstow, Mandy Chambers and store manager André Ripano congratulated and thanked us for our contribution to a special day and will be sure to invite us back again.

 

Many thanks to Stephen and John for leading us on this unique occasion and also many thanks to all the choristers who turned up to make the morning extra special for both the residents of Caldicot and the staff of Asda.

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