Fancy a song or two with your sandwich on Friday 20th May? The Friday Lunchtime Choir will perform a short concert at 1.30pm at the Salvation Army Citadel, Lord Street, Douglas. The community choir was formed and is conducted by Maggie Richardson, Head of Music Service for the Department of Education and Children, and welcomes all comers, regardless of experience. Two years after it started it is going from strength to strength, with more than 100 members. Maggie said: ‘We never have everyone at the same time because of work and other commitments but we do have about 50 singers each week, including many who have been with us since the outset, which is wonderful.’ The choir meets on Friday lunchtimes during term-time for half an hour for vocal training and to learn choral music of different styles. It has also inspired at least one corporate choir to spring up in the UK. Maggie explained that the short sessions allowed singers who were on an hour’s break from the office to head back to their desks on time. ‘As we meet during people’s lunch breaks I have to make sure we keep the rehearsals fast moving and fun so they can go back to work feeling refreshed,’ she said. ‘Research has shown that choral singing has many health benefits, both psychological and physical, and I know our members enjoy the challenge of the music we learn each week.’ Lizzie McLean, of Peel, is one of the founder members of the choir and will be taking part in the concert. The former teacher, who is married to well known local musician Dave Mclean, had sung a little but wanted to get involved with something regular and she says she enjoys it so much that other members of her family have joined, too. ‘It’s a great way to meet other people. It’s relaxed and fun but we get through a lot in half an hour,’ said the mum of four and grandmother. The 15-minute concert will mark the end of the choir’s second season and will include music from five countries, Maggie continued. People who are on a lunch break are welcome to bring along their sandwich and eat it as they watch. Although admission is free, a retiring collection will be donated to the charity Shelterbox, which provides a temporary roof and warmth to those in disaster-hit parts of the world. ‘Our final piece in the concert is a beautiful piece based on a traditional Japanese melody and we hope it will prompt people to dig deep for such a worthy cause, especially in light of the recent tragedies in Japan,’ Maggie said. ‘Other music we’ll be performing comes from Australia, America, Macedonia and Africa and the choir has tackled four different languages in rehearsing for this concert.’ For more information on the lunchtime choir, ring Maggie on 686555 or visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Friday-Lunchtime-Choir/156393334395594 Ends