Choral promise

The choir was established last October by John Forsyth, who became an MBE for services to music in the New Year honours.

Aimed at young people between 16 and 22 and at becoming a “beacon of excellence”, it already has 40 singers, hopes to double membership by the summer of 2013 and to have 100 the following year.

Mr Forsyth, who studied classical guitar with Julian Bream and John Williams and who is also a professional conductor, led the Tees Valley Youth Choir for 18 years until last year.

“We want to celebrate and sustain the 700 years of choral heritage that is fast losing ground,” he says.

Based at Chester-le-Street, selffunded but always looking for sponsorship, the choir has already performed around the country.

“It’s been a truly remarkable first year. Already the North-East is being regarded as an area of significant high quality choral training and opportunity,” says Mr Forsyth.

He can be contacted on 01325- 377966.

A RATHER different note, Martin Bonavand reports that at half-time during Hartlepool United’s match on Saturday, the PA man announced the arrival of five-day-old Chardonnay Britney Beyonce.

“The ensuing titters, guffaws and raised eyebrows were the first of many that will surely follow her over the next few decades,” says Martin.

Ladbroke’s, he adds, have probably stopped taking bets on her great uncle Elvis Ringo Cliff becoming godfather.

SIMILARLY in step with the times, the Shildon Railway Institute Modern Sequence Dance Club celebrates its 60th anniversary – “dancing non-stop,” says secretary Lilian Storey and easy to know what she means – on September 13.

They began on September 5, 1951, shilling a night, Tommy Smurthwaite and his band. Last time we looked in, for the 50th anniversary, the club was still being led by Lawrie Robinson – butcher Robinson – a sprightly 90.

“There are around 50 new dances every year, you have to try to remember all the sequences,” said Lawrie.

The John North column will have hung up its dancing shoes by September 13. Doubtless others will take to the floor.

FROM the Sunday Times magazine, Tom Dobbin sends an interview with the actor Bill Nighy in which he’s asked if he was in it for the money.

“No,” he says, “I was in it for the pies. At Darlington Civic Theatre – which is a beautiful theatre – the Friends of the Theatre gave us a party afterwards and you’ve never seen a spread like it. There were pies that would make you cry.”

These columns, of course, have always proclaimed Darlington to be the pork pie capital of the world.

Since Nighy was last here, in Skylight, in 1997, they clearly made a lasting impression.

Tom’s still unimpressed. “He doesn’t look like he ate many,” he says.

V1MTO, the motor – “drives past our house twice a day,” reports Barbara Thexton in Spennithorne, Wensleydale, after spotting the effervescent registration plate in recent columns.

It’s owned, says Barbara, by Janet Leathley who, by way of more substantial diet, also owns the fish shop in Leyburn.

Since we’d also mentioned Horlicks, John Heslop in Durham recalls drinking the stuff – “cold, it used to raise a few eyebrows” – at the fondly- remembered Rossi’s café in Bishop Auckland.

“As Horlicks dissolves only a little in cold milk, you can scoop the undissolved powder from the top and eat it before drinking the remaining mildly malted liquid.”

Perhaps John scents scepticism.

“You can’t imagine how wonderful is tastes until you try it,” he insists.

…and finally, another soft touch. On holiday in the South, Peter Chapman comes across Gran Stead’s Ginger Wine, made in Sussex to a recipe perfected by Christiana Stead, born in Middleton-in-Teesdale in 1898.

The claim that it’s thus “more than 150 years old” may simply be proof that non-alcoholic ginger wine goes to the head more than might be supposed.

Gran gesture, Len Knox and his late wife Dot liked the stuff so much they bought the recipe and began commercial production in 1994. The business thrives, glasses throughout the land raised to the old lady from Middleton. Cheers.