STEETON Male Voice Choir members were delighted to perform their latest concert to a near capacity audience.

Choir spokesman Eric Parker said the singers were joined at All Saints Church, Ilkley, by Budleigh Salterton Male Voice Choir from Devon.

He said: “The audience were thrilled with the sound of male voices especially with the blending of Yorkshire and Devonian voices in the joint items.”

“It is usual at a joint male voice concert for the choirs to enjoy one another’s company in an ‘afterglow’ which was held at Ilkley Rugby Union FC.

“We entertained one another with song and monologues until the coach was ready to take our visitors away to their hotel just before the bewitching hour.”

The Steeton singers will welcome another male voice choir, from Anston in South Yorkshire, this Saturday for a 7pm concert at Keighley shared Church.

Mr Parker said: “Anston was a colliery town and still a few men from the choir work in the coal mines.

“Ten years ago there were many more enjoying the fellowship of singing in a male voice choir and enjoying singing for others enjoyment.”

Mr Parker said that the Steeton choir heard a song about the demise of Britain’s mines during their mini tour to Whitby and Scarborough last summer.

He said: “We have taken this into our repertoire and will sing in public for the first time at Keighley.

“It is called Collier’s Requiem. You can almost substitute the words for the decline of the local textile industry since the 60s.”

The Keighley concert begins at 7pm. Email tickets@smvc.co.uk or call 01274 598221 to book tickets, costing £8.

Steeton Male Voice Choir will perform its annual concert at King’s Hall, Ilkley, on October 11, with the City of Bradford Brass Band.

The concert will end with a Last Night of the Proms with audience participation. Ticket call 01274 598221 or tickets@steetonmvc.co.uk for tickets, which cost £10.