Some of our members attended the St Augustine’s Christmas Fair to promote the choir. This was purely a public relations exercise to let people know who we are, the work we do, and a name for the public to look for. We engaged with anyone who passed by. But recruitment in this format was a failure.

If there was any doubt of our presence, it came at the end when everyone was waiting for the draw to commence. There were endless delays and people became fidgety. At this point, the two members of the Southend Bach Choir began bawling “Why are we waiting?” to the tune of Adeste Fidelis. The public willingly joined-in with much laughter. The draw began within 30 seconds!