A NEWSPAPER advert urging new members to come forward has worked wonders for the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir.

The choir has been going strong in the city since its foundation in 1928 but earlier this year the organisers decided it was a good time to recruit new members as the average age of choristers was creeping up.

An appeal for new members in the Oxford Mail's sister paper in July did the trick and now the choir is back up to full strength.

Philip Gibbs, 53, from Stadhampton, orginally hails from Sutton Coldfield near Birmingham, but his wife Alison is from South Wales.

The father-of-two, who works for a scientific instruments company, said: "I have been in the choir for 27 years and I really enjoy it.

"You don't have to be Welsh to be in the choir but about 25 per cent of the songs we sing are in Welsh."

Mr Gibbs, the choir's vice-chairman, said an advert appealing for new members in July in The Oxford Times worked well and boosted the numbers from 45 to 55.

He added: "It has made a tremendous difference and we would still welcome new members.

"Some male voice choirs in Wales have about 60 or 70 members but once you get up to those kind of numbers you need to hire two coaches when you go on a trip."

One of the special features of a Welsh male voice choir is that they perform without music copies, having learnt everything by heart.

But the new members may not have had time to learn all the songs in the repertoire in time for the annual concert at Oxford Town Hall on Saturday, featuring Welsh guests Morriston RFC Male Voice Choir.

Mr Gibbs added: "I'm sure the evening will be a huge success and that the new members will make themselves heard singing with a pint in the bar after the concert."

Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir was formed in 1928 by Welsh exiles who came to Oxford to find work at Morris Motors.

It has performed regularly throughout the intervening years and is preparing to celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2018.

New members are always welcome to attend any rehearsal and can find the choir at St Francis School off Horspath Rd most Thursday evenings.

The concert on Saturday at 7.30pm, starts at 7.30pm and will also feature operatic duo Hannah Fraser-Mackenzie and Robert Jenkins.

Tickets can be obtained by from Tickets Oxford at oxfordplayhouse.com/ticketsoxford)

For further information visit oxfordwelshmvc.org.uk