Four Male Voice Choirs from Rugby, Coventry, Leamington and Northampton performed with the Jaguar Landrover Band and soloist Mel Cotton to raise the roof at the Temple Speech Room and to give Mike Minton a great send off as the retiring Musical Director of the Rugby Male Voice Choir.
The capacity audience was enthralled by the performance, which ran beyond the planned schedule, and gave a rousing rendition of the traditional Proms anthems to close the concert on a high.
Eric Wood, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, and Councillor Belinda Garcia, the Mayor of Rugby were joined in the audience by ten former Mayors of Rugby, who were also past presidents of the Rugby Male Voice Choir and were delighted to show their appreciation of the contribution that Mike has made to the Choir and the many good causes that the Choir has supported over the 17 or so years he has been the Musical Director of the Choir.
The Mayor, Tony Mennell, the President of Rotary Rugby Dunsmore, fellow Rotarian Mike Folly, Willy Goldschmidt, Chairman of the Friends of St Cross and Ian Birkin, accompanist to the Rugby Male Voice Choir, all presented gifts to Mike to mark the occasion.
Mike Minton said “many thanks to all those who made this event happen and for all the singers and the band who gave such a splendid performance to make this a truly memorable occasion for myself, my family and friends.”
The event was sponsored by Urban & Civic, the developers of Houlton, and raised £8,000 which will be shared between the Friends of St Cross and the President of Rotary Rugby Dunsmore’s Charity of the Year which is Mind Coventry and Warwickshire branch.
There were also presentations to the Rugby Sea Cadets and the 29F Rugby Air Training Corps which are two of the groups supported by Rotary Rugby Dunsmore.
Photos: by Jamie Gray