Coleford Community Choir is an exciting and thriving choir in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. It’s an inclusive choir of mixed voices with an age range of 10 years to 80 plus years. The choir was formed in 2011 with thirteen founder members; it has now grown to more than fifty, who spend a lot of their time laughing and having fun whilst making a fantastic sound.

In the relatively short time that the choir has been formed, it has built up a reputation for fun and exciting performances as well as putting on high quality concerts, including the very popular Remembrance Festival evenings. The choir feel that it is important to support charities, and the proceeds from all of their concerts have gone to different charities such as Time and Place road safety, Royal British Legion, Bristol Children’s Hospital, GWAC and Crisis at Christmas.

The choir sing a wide range of songs and styles and have twice won their class in the Herefordshire Performing Arts Festival. They have participated twice in the National Choir of The Year Competition, singing at the Colston Hall (Bristol Beacon) in Bristol and St David’s Hall in Cardiff. The choir sing for various community events and groups, such as Great Oaks Hospice, Forest Court Care Home, The Elms at Staunton & The Priory at Llandogo. The choir have become an established part of the Coleford Music Festival.

Nick Penny, the Mayor of Coleford & the Town Council are very supportive of the choir and we are included in many community events.

As part of the Coleford Twinning experience, many members of the choir took part in the Fête de Musique in June 2023. They sang at the markets squares in St Hilaire de Riez and Sion to great applause from the visitors and residents alike. The choir are planning to make a return visit in 2025.

Rehearsals are held every Wednesday evening in Coleford Baptist Church at 7pm. Although we meet at the Baptist Church, we are not a religious choir. Everyone is welcome to come and join in at a nominal weekly charge (£3). Members do not audition. Any level of ability welcome.

A selection of our musical repertoire:

Run by Snow Patrol                                       May it Be, from Lord of the Rings

Your Love Keeps Lifting me Higher             Country Roads

Fix You by Cold Play                                     Hey Jude

Sound of Silence                                            African Alleluia

I’m Still Standing                                            He Lives in You from the Lion King

Maggie May                                                   Fields of Gold

It Must Be Love                                              From Now On from The Greatest Showman

One Love                                                        When You Believe from the Prince of Egypt

Lean on Me                                                    You Raise Me Up

And many more ….