Former choirboy who sang for King George finds joy in Glebe House choir

Peter Lough joined his first choir at the age of eight and at age 84 is still pitch-perfect singing as a member of the choir at his Hollesley care home.

Since making Glebe House Residential Care Home his home in December last year, Peter has embraced the varied activities offered at the home and was one of the first to volunteer his voice when they decided to form a choir.

Glebe House, located on Rectory Road in Hollesley, is a 20-bed care home that offers residential, respite and specialist dementia care. The choir meets weekly on Fridays at 11am and is open to all.

As a child the former choirboy was a member of the Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, also known as Temple Choir, an elite choir serving the monarch, which included ten boy choristers and six adult singers.

“I sang in the choir alongside my brother Robin and my father Ernest,” explained Peter, “so singing is in my blood.”

“We sang for King George VI at St James’s Palace, Kensington Palace, and even Buckingham Palace. A wonderful experience!

“My father, Ernest Lough, sang the famous solo O for the Wings of a Dove when he was aged 15 and a member of the Temple Choir. It was recorded by the Gramophone Company and sold over a million copies!

“I have so many precious memories of my years singing for the King. Joining the choir at Glebe has brought them all flooding back to me. I find singing a joyful activity, and I’m delighted to be a member of a singing group once again, though I don’t quite hit the high notes anymore!”

Sharon Bird, activities coordinator at Glebe House, is also a professional singer in her spare time and was thrilled to form the choir when some of the residents expressed an interest.

“I love to sing, so music and song seeps naturally into my work with our residents at Glebe House,” said Sharon.

“Music adds energy and joy to any activity, so whether we are crafting, baking, or exercising, we always have a sing-along too.

“The sing-alongs became more regular, so we decided to form a choir and sing weekly. At present we have around 12 residents who take part, but we would love to have people from the local community come and join us.”

Resident Ingrid Stoddard, aged 87, is another member of the choir, she said: “The songs bring back such lovely memories of times gone by. We sing wartime songs such as We’ll Meet Again, but also lots of rock and roll songs from Elvis and The Beatles.”

Dawn Barnes, manager at Glebe House, added: “The hope is that the choir will bring together our residents and people from the local community to provide an opportunity to sing and socialise.

“We would love to see some new faces in the choir, and new voices, and to maybe forge some wonderful connections and friendships.

“Some of our members are living with dementia, and music can be very beneficial for their mood and behaviour. Our residents get a lot of joy from singing familiar songs. Residents who are often confused and forgetful suddenly remember every single word of a song they learnt as a child, it’s remarkable!”

Located in the village of Hollesley near to Woodbridge, the team at Glebe House support each resident to live active and fulfilling lives. To join the choir, call 01394 410298 or email Glebehousecare@gmail.com.

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