Meet the Mendip Men

When did you join the choir John? And why? I joined the choir in 2021, when we had just moved to Midsomer Norton. I had been a member of a choir in Brighton, where we lived previously, and wanted to find one here. I tried one, which didn't suit me, then I met Eric Baldwin, who lived opposite and was a member of the MMVC, and he brought me along. I enjoyed it and stayed with it. Originally, Eric was the choir secretary, and when he stepped down at the age of 80, John Kendall t

What led you to join the choir Mike? I live in Winford, and one day in 2023, I went down to the local shop to buy milk, and I saw a poster in the window saying, "Would you like to join a choir?" This was at the time of the first "20 Mendip Men" Prostate Cancer campaign. In the shop was Simon Martin, who worked there as a volunteer. He had seen me reading the poster and asked if I would like to join him at the next rehearsal. I had been learning to play guitar and sing, and I

There were 4 new members of the Baritone section at the rehearsal on Monday 5th, and I met with them to learn a little more about them. Bill (left) lives in Rode and is a retired teacher. He is membership secretary of a local car club, and owns a gorgeous green Marlin Hunter. Phil and his wife Ros are part of the leadership team at Rode Chapel. David (second left) lives in Peasedown St John. He spent 32 years in the Royal Navy, then 10 years doing IT support for the MOD. He i

Martin in his role of stage manager How long have you been in the choir Martin? I have been in a male voice choir for about 42 years. Before this I used to sing bass in the Methodist church, and a friend said, "Why don't you join the Midsomer Norton Male Voice Choir?" So I did. This was a long-established choir, going for 106 years at the time, with fathers, sons, and brothers singing together. In those days, there wasn't much alternative entertainment, and there was a feelin

We are delighted to have so many new singers join us for the Christmas term in response to the 20 Mendip Men campaign in support of Prostate Cancer research. 7 of them sat with the Top Tenors on September 28th, and I caught up with them afterwards to ask them a little bit about themselves. Roman (far left) lives at Radford Mill farm, and is an organic vegetable grower. He started as a seasonal worker in April, and will be there until at least September 2027. He is a colleagu

How long have you been in the choir Richard? I don’t remember exactly, but it must be getting on for 20 years. This is my fifth year as choir Chairman. I was lead for the second tenors for a long time, and then when the previous chairman retired I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time and got elected! What led you to join the choir in the first place? I was always involved in the Amateur Dramatic group in the village I live in, which at the time was quite active,