We awarded £500 to Monmouth Male Voice Choir in December 2025 to support the choir’s participation in the 27th London Welsh Festival of Male Choirs at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on Sunday 7 June 2026. Monmouth Male Voice Choir is a registered charity and a vibrant community of singers based in the historic market town of Monmouth. This project supported around 85 choristers, most of whom are older men from rural Monmouthshire.
Our grant was used towards the travel and participation costs of taking 68 choir members from Monmouth to London for the Festival, a significant logistical and financial undertaking for a community choir. Costs included coach transport, participation fees, and associated expenses on the day.
The Festival itself was a sold-out event, with approximately all of the 5,500 seats at the Royal Albert Hall filled. Over 800 voices from 19 choirs representing seven nations, England, Hong Kong, Norway, Scotland, Australia, Sweden and Wales, took to the stage together as a massed choir.
On the day, 68 of our choristers took to that famous stage, the second largest contingent of any choir in the festival, surpassed only by the hosts, London Welsh Male Voice Choir. To close the evening, organist Huw Williams struck the opening chords of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau on the great RAH organ and more than 5,000 voices erupted together. The choir's feedback to us concluded that It was a truly amazing experience from beginning to end!