(The choristers pictured during their visit to Parliament – photo credit Wera Hobhouse’s office)
A group of around 25, 11-18-year-olds from Bath Abbey Girls’ Choir have recently returned from a very special weekend in London, having been invited to sing in the prestigious Westminster Abbey.
Accompanied by lay clerks – adult professional singers from Bath Abbey – the girls performed at four different services across the weekend, in front of a total congregation of around 2000.
“It was such a great privilege to be leading worship in such a famous and historic building,” said Bath Abbey Director of Music Huw Williams, “and so exciting to have a special behind-the-scenes tour of Westminster Abbey too during our visit.”
The girls were thrilled also to be invited to visit Parliament by Bath MP Wera Hobhouse while in London. They were given a tour of the Palace of Westminster, including the House of Commons and the House of Lords, during which they learned about the role and responsibilities of an MP, how legislation is passed, and how voting works, as well as discovering interesting facts about the building’s history.
They topped off their stay in the capital with visits to Harrods and the Natural History Museum, a boat trip to Tower Bridge, a picnic in Hyde Park and walks through Green Park and St James’ Park, getting a stunning view of Buckingham Palace en route.
Huw Williams continued:
“It was a packed and exciting weekend, and the girls were buzzing when they went home. The visit to the Palace of Westminster was the opener to the tour and contributed to a very memorable and enjoyable weekend. It’s so important that they learn about our parliament and how democracy works in practice – thank you so much to Wera and her team for offering us this opportunity!”
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, commented:
“I was so proud to hear about the Bath Abbey Girls’ Choir’s invitation to sing at Westminster Abbey. They are such fantastic ambassadors for our city’s amazing musical talent.
“And it was wonderful to be able to get them along to Parliament during their musical tour. Their enthusiasm and eagerness to learn more about Politics were really inspiring!”
If you would like to experience the joyful sounds of the Bath Abbey choirs for yourself, details of weekly services can be found here.
