Choir's outdoor concert in Worthing raises £1,215

Photo Credit: West Sussex Mind

Encore Vocal Choir put on a concert in Worthing in memory of one of their members to raise money to support local people with their mental health

A fundraising concert by Encore Vocal Choir has raised over a thousand pounds for West Sussex Mind. The open-air performance, which took place on September 4th at Denton Gardens in Worthing, was attended by around 300 people. The organisers kindly donated the proceeds to West Sussex Mind, to help continue vital mental health work in the area.

Encore Vocal Choir was founded four years ago in Storrington by Elizabeth Ball and Kerri Chipper. They have since started separate choirs in Worthing and Felpham. All three groups came together for this fundraising event which saw almost 70 singers take to the stage. The audience was treated to songs from musicals such as The Greatest Showman and Les Misérables alongside pop hits from acts such as ABBA, Ricky Martin and Take That. The finale was a rendition of Ike & Tina Turner’s River Deep – Mountain High.

Though it was an upbeat performance, the event was held in memory of a choir member who had passed away during the pandemic. “That’s why we decided to raise money for Mind,” said Elizabeth. “She was a long-term sufferer of mental health issues, and took her own life, which is very sad.”

During the last year, the founders of Encore Vocal Choir have become aware of just how important the choir is to its members. “We managed to keep going during lockdown,” explained Elizabeth. “People came onto Zoom every week and did their classes with us. We’ve had people say to us: if it wasn’t for this choir I don’t really know where I’d be right now."

Encore Vocal Choir will be performing again at Christmas.

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