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Lincs Lotto was created in 2017 by North Lincolnshire Council. Set up to support community projects in the local area, Lincs Lotto operates on the principle of raising money within the community for the community.  A ticket for Lincs Lotto costs £1 a week and 60p will go directly to good causes - 50p to your chosen Good Cause and 10p into the Lincs Lotto Community Fund. You can play the lottery weekly or as a one off.

All support helps us to fundraise for new music, workshop opportunities for the choir and to ensure that our musical and sound equipment is maintained and renewed as necessary. Please do take a look at our page: https://www.lincslotto.co.uk/support/saints-singers and support us if you can.

One of our altos, Liz, has written a fantastic account of her first year with Saints' Singers, from joining us in September for the Come and Sing month to almost a year later when she performed in our summer 2023 concert - I Am Woman.

On the warm evening of the 24th June 2023 Saints’ Singers performed our summer concert ‘I Am Woman’ at All Saints’ Church Winterton to a sold out audience. The fifteen song repertoire was very well received:

“The material …was well chosen and professionally delivered. The harmonies blended extremely well.” Audience member

“Just to say how much I enjoyed the concert. You gave us a packed programme which was great fun to listen to.” Audience member

For me the overriding feeling was one of shared and tangible pride and elation among the choir members, and gratitude to Elisabeth (our Musical Director) and James Longden (piano), Toby Jacklin (guitar) and Lisa Oliver (drums) who accompanied us on the night, as well as pride that our regular pianist Jean was in the audience to hear the results of all the rehearsals over the last six months.

It’s hard to believe that it was only ten months earlier that I had joined the choir for a taster series of four sessions. I wasn’t even sure if I was an alto or soprano but didn’t fancy trying to reach those high notes so plumped for alto! I was immediately struck by the choir’s warm welcome and the skill, encouragement and highly organised approach of our M.D. The rehearsals were fun and challenging. I was learning such a lot in a very short time. The regular choir members were supportive and I found that listening to the other altos around me helped considerably. I had no hesitation in deciding to continue with the choir.

We went on to learn the Christmas repertoire and performed at Forest Pines and at All Saints’ Christmas Concert. I was nervous but enjoyed the experiences. In January 2023 we embarked on learning the repertoire for the summer concert. It was exciting to see the work of such a range of female artists included in the repertoire, including Carly Simon and Dolly Parton. Elisabeth had put this together taking into account suggestions given by choir members. Some of the songs were very challenging and I had doubts that I would ever conquer ‘This Woman’s Work’ by Kate Bush or ‘Easy On Me’ by Adele. We were given a variety of tips and strategies above and beyond the regular Monday evening rehearsals to help, including; using a highlighter to identify the different vocal parts on the score, recorded teach tracks, and audio recordings of rehearsals. I found all of these to be very helpful and I am sure that my memory has improved through this process.

The run up to the concert was not without hiccups. Unfortunately our regular pianist Jean was unable to accompany us on the last few rehearsals, or for the concert itself, and we had one particularly poor rehearsal when we just seemed to have forgotten so many things! However, Elisabeth assured us everyone has one bad rehearsal prior to a big performance. As the concert drew nearer, Elisabeth’s exceptional skills became very clear. At one rehearsal it all suddenly clicked for me as we sang ‘This Woman’s Work’. I was so moved that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

My positive experience is shared by other singers who joined the choir in September after the Come and Sing month as two new singers, Jane and Mo reflect below about their experiences joining the choir:

“I have never been in a choir in my life…until I joined Saints’ Singers at the grand old age of 75…After the loss of my husband…It has helped me a great deal, given me a new interest and wonderful new friends. I am very grateful to have such an amazing teacher …and so much help from the dear ladies around me …I still can’t believe how much I enjoyed my first concert.” Jane 

“Joining Saints’ Singers is one of the best decisions I’ve made. However bad a day I may have had , or however tired I am, getting out and singing always makes me feel better. I feel challenged but not uncomfortably so and whilst I was nervous for the summer concert …I don’t think you’d get the same buzz afterwards if there weren’t the nerves”. Mo 

The Summer concert was a huge success. It was a fabulous experience! This year, the new starters had been welcomed, nurtured, and accepted into this well established choir. We too had felt the positive physical, mental and emotional benefits of being in the choir. We were part of the team, part of this beautiful sound.

One of our sopranos, Suzanne, has written a wonderful account of Saints' Singers summer 2022 concert - Desert Island Discs.

Saturday June 25th 2022 was a momentous day for the Saints’ Singers as it was the first time in three years that we had performed a full concert to a live audience. All Saints’ Church was filled to capacity with an appreciative audience, who delighted in our Desert Islands Discs repertoire, as our singing soared to the rafters!

Going into lockdown in March 2020 didn’t stop our choir singing. Our Musical Director Elisabeth organised Zoom meetings so that we could sing together virtually for 16 months and we also managed 6 weeks of socially distanced outdoor singing last summer. It wasn’t until September 2021 that we finally met again to sing as a choir in the Church under very strict safeguarding measures. It was wonderful to be together again!

Since September we have taken great joy in learning the 15 songs for this concert, each one chosen as a special memory by some of our choir members, some lively and upbeat, some sentimental and emotional but all honed to perfection by our talented and patient MD Elisabeth, supported by our very accomplished pianist Jean.

On the night of the concert we were joined by percussionist, Lisa Oliver and bass guitarist, Toby Jacklin, who added another dimension to our performance. Our choir ladies took great joy in giving their very best to please the audience. There was something for everyone, whatever their taste in music, which was reflected in the very positive responses in the following reviews:

"I was privileged to be present at a Saint Singers' Concert recently. This Concert took the format of Desert Island Discs, and individual choir members introduced each number and the reason it had been chosen. This gave the audience a chance to connect more informally to members. The Concert was "magical" in every sense of the word"  Kath Brown, audience member

"What a fantastic evening spent at Saints' Singers Desert Island Disc Concert. At times emotional, at times joyous, it was such a varied uplifting programme!" Jean Richmond, audience member

"We both really enjoyed your choir’s performance - it was a really nice evening. Great choice of songs!"  Ann and Stuart Harrison, audience members

Come and Sing with Saints' Singers this September!

Saints' Singers are a female choir who enjoy singing a variety of music and performing across the area at community and charity events. In September, we're opening our doors to new singers; together we'll learn new music over four rehearsals culminating in an informal performance for friends and family on the 26th September. There’s no need to read music or take part in an audition – we’re just a relaxed and friendly choir who love singing together. Sign up by emailing saintssingers@gmail.com or join up at the first rehearsal on Monday 5th September! 

Why should I sign up?
Did you know that singing has many benefits for us, both physically and emotionally? It helps to:

• Release endorphins which enhance our mood
• Relieve stress
• Develop your posture and core strength
• Improve breathing efficiency/core capacity
• Boost your self esteem
• Singing in a group is a sociable activity - we're not just a choir, we're a community of friends too!

What are the details?
Dates: 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th September, 7- 8.30pm
Venue: All Saints' Church, Winterton
Fee: Join for an introductory price of £5 for the month. This price includes all music copies. After the introductory month, weekly subs are £4 (payable by half term).
Sign up by emailing saintssingers@gmail.com 

One of our altos, Alison, has written a wonderful account of Saints' Singers rehearsals over the last two years. In March 2020, we had to move our rehearsals online to Zoom and this continued for over a year, until restrictions allowed us to meet together again. 

During the early stage of the pandemic Saints' Singers were very lucky to be able to continue singing, albeit online, using Zoom. It was a rather strange experience; I certainly found that the benefits gained from sharing the weekly sessions far outweighed the frustrations of IT glitches and being muted. I shut my door, switched off my mobile and concentrated hard singing to my PC screen, safe in the knowledge that nobody would hear my mistakes!

Late spring and summer brought better news. We could actually sing together again as a group while observing all the Covid regulations. Our rehearsals moved into the open air, under the marquee kindly borrowed from the George Hogg pub. Come wind, rain (torrential on occasion) or shine, around 20 members attended, relishing the camaraderie and singing favourite numbers even if we did have competition from the local blackbird population! There was a palpable sense of excitement and pure joy as we greeted our fellow singers in person once more. 

Our choir finally migrated back into All Saints' Church in September 2021. Still observing social distancing, around 25 members actively enjoyed the social and physical benefits of community singing while others followed the live rehearsals online (we ended up having a very fancy microphone set up and livestreaming the rehearsal from an iPad). 


We even managed to perform our seasonal repertoire at the Scunthorpe Rotary Festival of Christmas Trees. This was such a treat and at last felt a little more “normal”.

Now back in full swing, each and every one of us understands what it means to be a singer in such a dynamic and vibrant choir. The warmth and friendship, mutual support, physical and mental health benefits plus the immense talents and professional musicianship of our conductor Elisabeth and accompanist Jean make Saints' Singers the perfect destination for a Monday evening in Winterton!