Men United choir adds extra concert date for friends and family after overwhelming success

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 15 May 2024

UPDATED: 17 May 2024

Nottinghamshire volunteer choir Men United has added an extra show to its schedule thanks to overwhelming demand following its successful debut at Southwell Minster.

The choir will give a special final performance at St Giles Church in West Bridgford on 22 June, with invites limited to friends and family, . as the organisers expect to fill the church. The concert will mark the end of a remarkable musical journey for the 100 local men who came together in March to raise awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer UK as part of the national Men United in Song initiative.

More than 250 local men with little or no singing experience enquired about joining the Nottinghamshire Men United choir for the chance to learn a new musical skill while making friends and supporting a worthy cause. Almost 150 men came to find out more and have their voice listened to, and just over 100 started the rehearsals.

They underwent an intense nine-week rehearsal programme to prepare for a spectacular sold-out concert in front of more than 600 people at Southwell Minster earlier this month, where they performed alongside the Radcliffe on Trent Male Voice Choir and Mansfield’s Cantamus Girls’ Choir.

One of the singers who took part, Kumu Kumar, from Nottingham, lost his father-in-law and has also seen his uncle diagnosed. He said: "I signed up for the project because I lost my father-in-law to prostate cancer ten years ago - when treatments were very different than they are today.

"My uncle is also currently going through this horrible disease in Brazil. Being so far away, it's hard for me to support him through it, and Men United in Song seemed like the perfect opportunity to show my solidarity and to do something really positive on his behalf. My involvement in the project has brought him - and me - a great deal of joy."

On 25 May, they’ll join members of similar volunteer choirs from the other areas participating in the national Men United in Song campaign – Peterborough, Northampton, Welwyn Garden City and Worcester –  for another sold-out live performance, at Nottingham’s Albert Hall.

They’ve also raised almost £40,000 for Prostate Cancer UK so far and hope that by the end of the St Giles concert, the final total will reach more than £50,000.

Malcolm Dillon, from the project, said: “The response to Men United in Song Nottinghamshire has been fantastic from all involved, from the volunteer singers to the businesses and audiences who’ve supported us in making these concerts possible... and selling them out!  

“We were initially hoping to get 40 volunteers to take part and raise around £10,000 to cover our costs and make a donation to Prostate Cancer UK, but it’s really taken off. We never expected to get so many men taking part or raising as much money as we have done so far.

“Many of the guys in the Men United choir had little or no singing experience when they joined, but throughout the nine-week programme, we’ve given them the skills and confidence to go out there and sing in such beautiful venues, alongside renowned professional choirs, and hold their own.

“It’s been amazing. We’re hoping that off the back of the project, some of the men who volunteered will stick with it and we can welcome them into the Radcliffe on Trent Male Voice Choir so they can continue with their new-found activity.

“It’s also important to not lose sight of why we’ve done this. Prostate cancer kills one man every 45 minutes in the UK – more than 12,000 a year. With more than 52,000 men diagnosed with the illness every year, initiatives like this are vital for improving awareness among those most at risk and raising essential funds for research.”

If you’d like to donate to Men United in Song’s fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/team/nottsmen-united-in-song. 

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