12th Annual Meningitis Trust Christmas Concert

The Gloucester Salvation Army Senior Band (Bandmaster Clifford Matthews) was part of the 12th Annual Christmas Concert in aid of the Meningitis Trust, held on 11 December 2007 at Gloucester Cathedral. The band presented Christmas music along with the Cleeve School Senior Choir, Gotherington Singers and the Rhema Gospel Choir. Pam Ayres presented a Christmas Reflection.

The Gloucester Salvation Army band accompanied the singing of carols and presented four items, three of them Christmas marches: The Wonder of Christmas, The Joy of Christmas and The Spirit of Christmas. The fourth item was also upbeat, Three Kings Swing, a swing version of the “March of the Three Kings”.

Items from the Cleeve School Senior Choir included Winter Wonderland, What Sweeter Music, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and In the Bleak Mid-Winter. The Gotherington Singers presented When a Child Is Born, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby and O Holy Night. Vocal offerings continued with the Rhema Gospel Choir performing Silent Night, Mary’s Boy Child and Christmas Melody, the latter featuring a large collection of carols.

The congregation at Gloucester Cathedral was filled with supporters of the Meningitis Trust. Notable attendees included Sue Davie, Chief Executive of the Trust, Andrew Harvey, President of the Trust, and the Right Reverend Michael Perham, Bishop of Gloucester.

In the order of service for the evening, Sue Davie wrote:

“This year the Meningitis Trust is celebrating its 21st anniversary – that’s 21 years of helping people to rebuild lives. We are committed to raising awareness of meningitis and its after-effects . . . Thousands and thousands of people need on-going support . . . it is only with the support of individuals, companies and communities that we can continue our vital work. Without that help the Meningitis Trust cannot survive and that means many thousands of people who need our help will go without.”

For more information about the Meningitis Trust, please visit www.meningitis-trust.org.

The 13th Annual Meningitis Trust Christmas Concert will be held at Gloucester Cathedral on Thursday, 11 December 2008.