Meet the Mendip Men! Richard Luscombe, second tenor and Chairman
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, and one Christmas I was playing the lead in “Scrooge.” Being a musical, this involved a lot of singing, and I found I was quite enjoying this! Alan Bishop(who was a member of the MMVC then, and still is) was also in the production, and our accompanist was Carl Speck, who also played for the choir. So I was aware of the Mendip Men, and said to Alan and Carl, “I will come along to a rehearsal and give it a go”.
What have been your highlights with the choir?
Singing in Bath Abbey was very good; that was a really special experience. Also I have enjoyed the tours; the opportunity to be with the choir members for a bit, and also to sing with other choirs around the country. And of course the Albert Hall was amazing. We were not there as a choir on our own, we were just part of 1000 voices, and it was quite an experience!
What do you do for a living?
I am retired now, and when I was working I was in sales and marketing for various organisations in the drinks industry; mainly brewers and cider makers. I live in Norton St Philip although I was originally from London, and my wife Jennifer and I lived in South West London for many years. Then in 1989 I accepted a job with Showerings in Shepton Mallet, and that’s when we moved to Norton St Philip.
What are your interests outside the choir?
Well, I retired 4 ½ years ago, at Christmas 2021, and within 3 months I found myself retraining as a cycle instructor! My wife and I have always enjoyed cycling, and we often go on touring holidays on our tandem. These are quite ambitious trips; we have done Lands End to John O’Groats, Munich to Krakov, Nice to St Malo, Prague to Budapest, to name a few. We are currently planning where to go next! But with this cycling background, I saw a request to become a cycling instructor, and thought “why not?” So now I spend up to 4 days a week teaching the primary school children of Wiltshire how to ride bikes. Also I have 4 children, all grown up, and 5 grandchildren, which keep us quite busy.
What is your advice to new choir members?
My advice would be, remember that singing in a choir is supposed to be fun! You are doing this for fun, and so is everyone else in the choir.
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