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The Military Wives Choirs is a registered charity and network of 75 choirs in British military bases across the UK and overseas, bringing women in the military community closer together through singing. With over 2,200 members, the MWC network is tri-service (
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
, Royal Marines,
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
,
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
) and any woman with a military connection can join including those currently serving, veterans, mothers, sisters and daughters, empowering women from across the military community. The organisation is also a subsidiary charity of
SSAFA SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Anyone ...
.


History

The first choir held their first rehearsal in April 2010 in
Catterick Garrison Catterick Garrison is a major garrison and military town south of Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world, with a population of around 13,000 in 2017 and covering over 2,400 acres (about 10 ...
. It was the idea of two
Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...
wives who decided, whilst their husbands were deployed in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
in 2009, to put up posters at the Garrison to actively encourage and look for women interested in singing together, to help support and give the wives a focus whilst their husbands deployed. They engaged a well-known local music teacher and set about putting together a choir made up of wives, girlfriends and servicewomen and so the first choir was formed. A letter was written to choirmaster
Gareth Malone Gareth Edmund Malone (born 9 November 1975) is an English choirmaster and broadcaster, self-described as an " animateur, presenter and populariser of choral singing". He is best known for his television appearances in programmes such as '' The ...
looking for help and support with the choir; at that time he was receiving acclaim for his
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
television programme '' The Choir'' and felt that this was an idea that could be replicated. Malone then went to
RMB Chivenor Royal Marines Barracks Chivenor is a British military base used primarily by 3 Commando Brigade. It is situated on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, adjacent to the South West Coast Path, on the north coast of Devon, England. The nea ...
to start another choir there. Following the success at Chivenor, Malone, as part of the series, formed another choir at the
Royal Citadel, Plymouth The Royal Citadel in Plymouth, Devon, England, was built in the late 1660s to the design of Sir Bernard de Gomme. It is at the eastern end of Plymouth Hoe overlooking Plymouth Sound, and encompasses the site of the earlier fort that had been bu ...
. Following the broadcast of the series and the release of the single '' Wherever You Are'', more choirs were added at CTCRM, Lympstone and HMNB Portsmouth. The five choirs of Catterick, Chivenor, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Lympstone were invited to contribute to the album '' In My Dreams'' under the name Military Wives.


The Choir: Military Wives

The Military Wives Choir formed by
Gareth Malone Gareth Edmund Malone (born 9 November 1975) is an English choirmaster and broadcaster, self-described as an " animateur, presenter and populariser of choral singing". He is best known for his television appearances in programmes such as '' The ...
at the
Royal Marines Base Chivenor Royal Marines Barracks Chivenor is a British military base used primarily by 3 Commando Brigade. It is situated on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, adjacent to the South West Coast Path, on the north coast of Devon, England. The near ...
, as part of the fourth series of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
/ Twenty Twenty television series ''The Choir'', entitled '' The Choir: Military Wives''. The aim of the choir was to help the wives and girlfriends of servicemen currently deployed to
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
express themselves through song. As the series progressed, Malone led the Chivenor group to perform locally at the nearby town of Barnstaple, and then, alongside the choir formed at the
Royal Citadel, Plymouth The Royal Citadel in Plymouth, Devon, England, was built in the late 1660s to the design of Sir Bernard de Gomme. It is at the eastern end of Plymouth Hoe overlooking Plymouth Sound, and encompasses the site of the earlier fort that had been bu ...
, at a Passing Out dinner at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and at
Armed Forces Day Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day. Africa Egypt In Egypt, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 6 October, ...
celebrations in Plymouth. The climax of the television series was their performance of '' Wherever You Are'' at
The Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in n ...
's
Festival of Remembrance The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...
at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 November 2011, in the presence of HM The Queen. The song was created by Paul Mealor from extracts of correspondence between the choir and their spouses in Afghanistan.


Subsequent activities

Following the series, the song ''Wherever You Are'' was released as a single on 19 December 2011, with the aim of becoming the 2011 UK Singles Chart Christmas number one, a feat it achieved when it sold 556,000 copies within a week of launch (more than the rest of the top 12 combined). A section of the cost of the single was donated to the
Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ...
and the
SSAFA Forces Help SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Anyo ...
charities. The success of the television series and the Christmas single led the five established choirs being approached to contribute to an album. The album, entitled '' In My Dreams'' after the lead single, was released in early March 2012, and went to top the album chart in the UK within a week, with £1 from each album sale going towards the Military Wives Choirs Foundation. The foundation has the aim to support the founding of Military Wives' choirs across the UK. Nicky Clarke, co-founder of The Military Wives Choir Foundation, whose original idea and dream to have a choir on every base was gaining momentum, wrote in her note on the album cover, "It is music which gives us strength, hope, courage, support, laughter and friendship, often when it is most needed". The choir performed at the opening of the
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
in London when ten choirs contributed to the
Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...
and Andrew Lloyd Webber single written to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. This single, entitled ''
Sing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
'' features voices and instruments from across the Commonwealth and features the Military Wives as the backing track and representing the UK. The second album ''Stronger Together'', produced by Jon Cohen in July 2012, was recorded by over 700 women from 24 Military Wives Choirs. The original five of Catterick, Chivenor, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Lympstone, were joined by another nineteen; Abingdon, Ayios Nikolaos (Cyprus),
Chicksands Chicksands is a village in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England, and part of the civil parish of Campton and Chicksands, whose population in 2007 was estimated to be 2,510. By the 2011 census the figure was accurately place ...
,
Condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: * The Andean condor (''Vu ...
,
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Defence Academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
,
Dishforth Dishforth is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Dishforth translates from Old English as dic-ford; a ford by a dike or ditch. The population of the parish taken at the 2001 census as 719 and had ...
,
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(Germany), JHQ,
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,
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, Salisbury Plain,
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, Shorncliffe,
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,
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, West of Scotland and Wimbish. On 13 September over 650 ladies from the 24 choirs recorded the ''Stronger Together'' video in London for release on 5 November 2012. Nicky Clarke wrote on the album cover... "''Stronger Together'' really does sum up this year (2012) we've brought together women from all over the Military Community, in their own choirs, on-line, at the Jubilee and now on this album and still the choirs continue to grow. This is a testament to every woman in the military community – they are strong, resourceful women who support their loved ones when they're away". October 2012 saw more success for The Military Wives Choir winning Classical Brits single of the year, they performed ''Sing'' live at the Royal Albert Hall with Gareth Malone, Gary Barlow and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Then in November
Jonjo Kerr ''The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth series aired on ITV on 20 August 2011 and ended on 11 December 2011. Dermot O'Leary hosted the main show on ITV, while Caroline Flack and series 6 ...
returned from his tour of duty in Afghanistan to sing with representatives from the four choirs of Catterick, Chivenor, Lympstone, Portsmouth and Plymouth who originally recorded ''In My Dreams'' and performed at the Festival of Remembrance altogether, live for the first time. December 2012 saw the Military Wives Choirs round off a whirlwind year with representatives of the choirs singing as part of the Queen's Speech on Christmas Day. In December 2015, the Military Wives Choirs came together with
Walking With The Wounded Walking With The Wounded (WWTW) is a British charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), th ...
to produce the single ''I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)'' for the ‘Walking Home for Christmas’ campaign. The track is a festive recording of The Proclaimers’ hit song ''I’m Gonna Be (500 miles)'' and all proceeds from the single were donated to Walking With The Wounded and The Military Wives Choirs Foundation. February 2016 saw legendary singer
Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...
team up with the Military Wives Choirs for the single ‘Cry’. The song was inspired by Lulu’s diagnosis of
PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...
from the violence she experienced throughout her childhood and the affinity it helped her to feel with soldiers suffering from the same issue, albeit from different circumstances. Lulu generously donated all of the proceeds to the Military Wives Choir Foundation charity. The Military Wives Choirs also joined Lulu on her thirty five date UK tour throughout March and April to perform the single. This is something which had never been done before by a mainstream artist and the Choirs were thrilled to be involved in. In November 2016, the Military Wives Choirs came together to record album, ‘Home for Christmas’. Recorded in ten different locations, the album includes over 1,000 ladies from 63 choirs across the UK and overseas and can all be heard on the title track ''Home for Christmas''. The album also features six classic carols which have been updated with lyrics reflecting what Christmas means to women in the military community. Produced by BMG and steered by three accomplished choral conductors -
Hilary Davan Wetton Hilary John Davan Wetton (born 23 December 1943) is a British conductor. Biography Hilary Davan Wetton was educated at Westminster School and Oxford University. He has married three times, in 1964 to Elizabeth Tayler and in 1989 to Alison Kell ...
, Will Dawes and Mark De-Lisser, the Military Wives Choirs’ beautiful collection of songs embodies the true spirit of Christmas – its religious significance, love, family and harmony. The album was accompanied by a
Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
tour through the UK, which involved 17 different choirs. In June 2018, to tie in with
Armed Forces Day Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day. Africa Egypt In Egypt, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 6 October, ...
, the Military Wives Choirs marked the
World War I centenary The First World War centenary was the centenary of the First World War, which began on 28 July 2014 with a series of commemorations of the outbreak of the war organised across the continent of Europe, and ended on 11 November 2018 with the cen ...
with a commemorative project, coming together with military bands across all three services to create ‘Remember', their newest album. The 1105 voices which appear on it represent the families at home and those who served, both then and now. Choir members from 69 choirs in the network were involved in making the album, a total of 1105 singers including 93 from overseas choirs, recording in seven venues across the UK and conducted by
Hilary Davan Wetton Hilary John Davan Wetton (born 23 December 1943) is a British conductor. Biography Hilary Davan Wetton was educated at Westminster School and Oxford University. He has married three times, in 1964 to Elizabeth Tayler and in 1989 to Alison Kell ...
. Music for the album centres on five exciting commissions, written by prestigious composers from the classical, pop and film worlds - Owain Park, Joanna Forbes L'Estrange and Alexander L’Estrange, Adam Langston, and James Kennedy and Catrin Southall.
Laura Wright (singer) Laura Kathryn Wright (born 17 June 1990) is an English soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs classical and operatic music, popular songs, musical theatre, and folk songs. Early life Wright was born in Suffolk, and ...
co-wrote the single, 'Brave', with John Haywood and Sean Hargreaves, the album's producers, and features as a solo artist on the track. Sean Hargreaves co-wrote the 2018 UK Eurovision entry, Storm (SuRie song). The rest of the album is composed of fresh arrangements of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
marching songs, a choral medley of regimental marches from the three services, some reflective, traditional pieces and some contemporary songs. The album reached #4 in the Independent Albums Chart and #40 in the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
.


The Military Wives Choirs charity (Foundation)

In January 2012, choir members from Chivenor, Plymouth and Catterick came together to discuss how best to create a sustainable organization to benefit all military wives, building on the legacy from the success of the song ‘Wherever You Are’. Encouraged by Gareth and actively assisted by other supporters, including
SSAFA SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Anyone ...
,
the Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in n ...
,
Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
and 20:20 Television, the concept of a Foundation, to act as an umbrella organisation for all military wives choirs, was born. Needing a team to breathe life into the vision, a call was put out to all choirs in February 2012 and in March 2012 a group of women stepped forward to volunteer their time to found the charity we now know as the Military Wives Choirs Foundation (MWCF). That group of women was Caroline Jopp, Nicky Clarke, Sharon Bristow, Kelly Leonard, Emma Hanlon-Perry, Vanessa Murtagh, Emma Dineen, Claire Balneaves, Sarah McCallister and Carol Gedye, supported by SSAFA’s Communications Director at the time, Athol Hendry. Running alongside the business of setting up choirs the team were managing numerous high profile projects including recording three albums; ‘In My Dreams’, ‘Stronger Together’ and ‘Sing’ ''—'' releasing a book ''The Military Wives''; performing at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the
Classical Brit Awards The Classic BRIT Awards (previously Classical BRIT Awards) are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of European classical music, classical and Classical crossover, crossover music, and are the equivalent of popu ...
, the
Festival of Remembrance The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...
, and countless television appearances and local performances. The charity was officially incorporated on 25 July 2012 with four founding trustees, Nicky Clarke, Athol Hendry, David Ashman and Kirsty Bushell. The dedication and commitment of the co-founders and trustees was realised on 13 September 2012 when 647 women from 24 choirs came together at
Wellington Barracks Wellington Barracks is a military barracks in Westminster, central London, for the Foot Guards battalions on public duties in that area. The building is located about three hundred yards from Buckingham Palace, allowing the guard to be able to ...
in London to officially launch the charity. On this same day, Gareth Malone was welcomed as the charity’s first patron. The organisation continues to operate as a registered charity and network of 75 choirs in British military bases across the UK and overseas, bringing women in the military community closer together through singing. With over 2,200 members, the MWC network is tri-service (
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
,
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
,
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
, Royal Marines) and any woman with a military connection can join including those currently serving, veterans, mothers, sisters and daughters, empowering women from across the military community. The organisation is also a subsidiary charity of
SSAFA SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Anyone ...
. As part of the SSAFA family, the Military Wives Choirs work side by side SSAFA’s mission to relieve need, suffering and distress amongst the Armed Forces, veterans and their families in order to support their independence and dignity as a charity run by, for and with women in the military community. On 17 October 2020, the choir received a grant of £92,057 from the
Culture Recovery Fund The Culture Recovery Fund is a grants programme issued by the UK Government as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund aims to financially support cultural organisations in England (such as theatres, museums, and music venues) which had bec ...
to help find and fund rehearsal venues, pay musical directors, and to deliver weekly rehearsals and offer safe spaces for the women in the group.


Discography


Albums


Singles


See also

*
Gareth Malone Gareth Edmund Malone (born 9 November 1975) is an English choirmaster and broadcaster, self-described as an " animateur, presenter and populariser of choral singing". He is best known for his television appearances in programmes such as '' The ...
* Paul Mealor * The Choir: Military Wives


References


External links

* * * {{Authority control British choirs Girls' and women's choirs Musical groups from Devon Decca Records artists Musical groups established in 2011 2011 establishments in the United Kingdom