By Anneke Loubser, Lead

On 3 December, we took our colourful, glittery scarves — and voices — to Reading station for a merry sing-out in aid of the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The concourse quickly turned festive as commuters paused, smiled and swayed to our renditions of “Jingle Bells,” “Feliz Navidad” and “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, as well as our other songs. 

One of our most fun moments came when our beloved mascot, Blossom the Hippopotamus — a soft toy lovingly handmade by Linda Barlow — made her grand appearance during “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas.” Each choir member took it in turn to hold Blossom tight and pass her along (seemingly only changing hands upon strong encouragement from Emma, our brilliant MD), giving the song a heart-warming touch.

Even more laughs came when the charity mascot cheekily stepped in to “conduct” us during “Somewhere Only We Know,” momentarily taking over from Emma.

As ever, we had a fabulous time — and for a great cause. Huge thanks to everyone who stopped, listened and donated. We can’t wait to do it again next year.