Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones may have passed their 50-year milestone – but in the south there is another band of singers who have been hitting the high notes for half a century.
Pat Davis and Dilys Hillier hold photos of the choir in 1962 and the choir now
Dilys Hillier and Pat Davis from Warsash have been signing with the Solent Singers Women’s Choir for all of those 50 years - and they wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
They have rehearsed more or less every Monday in that half century at the Victory Hall in Warsash.
The group was originally known as the Young Wives Choir when they were formed in 1962.
“We’ve really enjoyed being in the choir and I don’t know what I’d do without it,” said Dilys, who is the eldest member of the group aged 88.
“It doesn’t seem like 50 years. I can’t believe it. It has been such a pleasure to sing. The night you come home after singing you feel so different.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
Pat, 84, who lives in Bevis Close, added: “It’s been quite an experience.
“One night we sang with no electricity when we had a concert going. It all conked out but we carried on.
“It is hard work at times, but it has always been pleasant.”
Dilys, of Church Road, moved to Warsash in 1950 and worked as a cook at Hook-with-Warsash School, and Pat moved to Locks Heath when she was 11 in 1938 and went to Locks Heath Junior School and Brookfield School.
They met at the then young wives club, a social group for mums, started by the then vicar’s wife Margaret Weber, which then transformed into the choir. Each of their two daughters has grown up and become friends through primary school.
They have seen many changes over the five decades with people who have come to sing in the choir and people they have lost or who have passed away.
Not to mention an array of variations of the group’s costumes, from the blue pinafore and white shirt from the 60s to the current blue velvet dresses. The theme is always blue and white to signify the Solent.
Despite Dilys’ husband and one of her daughters passing away, as well as Pat’s first and second husband passing away some years ago, singing in the choir has helped the pair maintain a close bond together and with the other singers.
“We’ve got lots of memories about it, some fun and we’ve lost quite a few mums,” said Pat who used to work at the vicarage.
“One memory that sticks out in my mind was when Barbara Goodridge died. She was there for the dress rehearsal of a show and she died the next day.
“Silent Night was her favourite song. When we sang the song I know I never got through it. We’ve been singing it every year since in Barbara’s memory.”
Dilys turned to Pat and added: “I tell you what I remember about you. Pat used to sing solo. She sang ‘Tammy’ [by Doris Day]. She sang it lovely. Whenever I hear that I think of you.”
The Solent Singers have travelled to perform to a range of audiences across the country and won numerous awards over the years, including the national Sainsbury Choir of the Year award.
Each year they perform to raise money for a children’s charity – last year being the Teenage Cancer Trust – and three recent church concerts in the Western Wards have raised more than £1,000.
They have been to thousands of rehearsals and learned hundreds of songs, from choral and classical hits to more modern musicians, such as Elton John and The Carpenters, and musical numbers, including hits from Les Misérables and Fiddler on the Roof.
But they never tire of it.
“I don’t know how I’ll feel when I have to give it up,” said Pat, who admitted she has been struggling to read some of the hymn sheets. “Having gone nearly every Monday for 50 years, it will be hard.
“I think we’ll keep going and keep going from strength to strength.”
Dilys laughed: “We’ll carry on until someone tells us to stop.”