When Keith Hebblewhite opened a Christmas present from his brother Peter in 1998, he had no idea how it would change his life. Within the festive wrapping, Keith found a Morriston Orpheus Choir CD – a world-famous choir based near Swansea in Wales.
The CD sparked an interest in him, and the following year he joined the Lincoln Male Voice Choir. Serendipitously, the Morriston Choir were performing at Derby Cathedral soon after, so Keith attended the concert with fellow choir members.
In his own words, Keith was hooked on Morriston Choir from that very first performance and since then, has become a true superfan!
Since 2003, he has organised for the Choir to come to Lincoln Cathedral thrice in support of St Barnabas Hospice. All three concerts sold out, with thousands of music lovers enjoying these evenings of top-class male voice singing in the historic setting of Lincoln Cathedral.
On 4th March, the Choir will return to the Cathedral once more, with some tickets still available to purchase via St Barnabas’ website here: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/events/morriston-choir/
Keith says: “The Morriston Orpheus Choir travel all around the world and are so popular. They have performed everywhere – from New York to Sydney, China to Canada, and have even sung for the Royal Family and the Pope. They are often on TV as well, appearing on Songs of Praise and other musical programmes.
“They are extremely talented musicians, with excellent diction and great focus on performing the songs wonderfully, and they always look smart in matching suits. For them to come back to for the fourth time shows you what the Choir thinks of St Barnabas and Lincoln.”
When asked how the first Morriston Choir concert came about, Keith explains he met a man in the interval of that first concert he attended. The man told Keith he was trying to persuade the Choir to come to his hometown of Cannock to sing. When the man succeeded, Keith and his wife Pat received tickets, and he saw the magnificent Choir again in the Staffordshire town. This inspired him to try get them to Lincoln, in support of his favourite charity.
Keith says: “I took my CDs and a video of the Choir to Lincoln Cathedral and Neil Paulger, who was at the time the Director of Business Development at St Barnabas. Together, a plan was formed to get the Choir to Lincoln to raise money for the Hospice. I had no hesitation in choosing St Barnabas, as all the staff are so very special, caring, and passionate, and do so much for our community.
“In May 2003, the Morriston Choir came to perform for the first time. Staff, volunteers, organisers, and attendees were all blown away by the successful event, and the Choir thoroughly enjoyed themselves too. They came back twice more, in May of 2005, and in May of 2016.
“Now they are returning for a fourth time on 4th March, to again raise money for St Barnabas Hospice and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a charity that does so much good around Lincolnshire.”
Tickets are available in tiered pricing from £30, with printed souvenir programmes available to pre-purchase. To purchase your tickets, please visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/events/morriston-choir/
Keith’s passion for raising funds in support of St Barnabas does not stop at organising Morriston Choir concerts. In his younger days, he was a keen athlete and took part in various marathons and runs, fundraising for various charities.
He’s been all over the world supporting Team GB, so when the Olympics took place in London, Keith was nominated by his son-in-law Tom to carry the torch through Lincoln. Keith was chosen, and after taking his lap he passed the torch to Olympian Jade Etherington.
Since then, he has taken the precious torch around schools, offices, shops and other places around Lincolnshire, in return for donations to St Barnabas. After five months of fundraising, he raised over £5,000 and Keith continues to raise money for his beloved charity by participating in other fundraisers too.
The Olympic torch is now kept at Lincoln Guildhall, and every year Keith is able to draw it out to participate in St Barnabas Hospice’s poignant Torchlight Procession.
Keith says: “The annual Torchlight Procession is a beautiful event, with thousands of people carrying flaming torches in memory of loved ones no longer with us. I walk in memory of my two brothers no longer with us, David and Peter. The latter gave me the Morriston Choir CD and he was in the Chester Cathedral Choir for 25 years, it appears singing is in our blood.
“It seems more than a coincidence that Choir singing, athletics and my appreciation for St Barnabas Hospice have all come together in such ways. Long may St Barnabas serve our local community in need of care and compassion!”