'There's nothing like this choir - it's very unique'
HandoutA "unique" male choir that has been running for two decades is celebrating international success.
The 65-strong City of Bath Male Choir won in the International Choral Competition Choirs and Best UK Male Choir at the Cornwall International Male Choral Festival in May.
Grenville Jones founded the choir in 2006 to prove people who said men would never sing together wrong. The group is now run by his son, Laurie Jones.
"There's nothing like it. It's a very unique, very rich sound. They want to sing to the best of their ability and when you've got a group like that, amazing things can happen," Laurie said.
The group meets every Tuesday at Beechen Cliff Methodist Church in Bath.
Laurie said he was "thrilled" to take over his father's role when he retired in 2023.
"Someone said to him, 'you'll never get a choir started with men in it'. My dad likes a challenge, so he started the choir 20 years ago," he said.
Since then, the choir has toured all around the world, and appeared on the TV show Last Choir Standing in 2009.
Laurie said he is "immensely proud" of the group for winning, and commended the choir for their dedication, effort and focus.
Simon Kale, from Bath, said he had "no idea" if he could sing when he joined the choir 20 years ago.
"I was put next to these chaps and we started singing and I thought 'this is quite enjoyable', but I didn't know what to expect," he said.
Kale soon found that singing gave him a "release", allowing him to switch off, relax, and enjoy the music.
John Snell from Bath said singing with others gives him "joy".
"It means the world to me," he said.
"You're connected to people, you're learning, it's good for your soul and the joy of performing to others is so powerful as well.
"We just love performing and we love being together and we love singing together, but to do this international festival and then win was mind-blowing."
Lee Giles, 41, from Bath, is one of the choir's newest members.
He said the group has "such a special sound" and he loves the friendship and the camaraderie among them.
"You've got 60 plus blokes harmonising together and it's quite humbling really to be in that atmosphere," he added.
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