Choir in the news again
October 21: Croydon Male Voice Choir hit the media again with an extensive report in the lively local news site, Inside Croydon. The site had learned about the choir’s frustration at being banned from resuming its customary Christmas performances at the Whitgift Centre.
The choir has sung at the centre for the past ten Christmases, raising thousands of pounds for local charities such as Crisis at Christmas, Croydon Vision and Croydon Council’s Just Giving Fund for victims and families of the Sandilands train crash.
CMVC sings for homeless charity Crisis - but not this year
This year, however, the choir received a brusque brush-off when it emailed to arrange dates for this year’s performances. An unsigned email from “Enquiries, Centrale” said: “We are only running the Christmas Competition this year.”
The competition in question was for choirs - from schools and "community groups" - who wanted to sing in return for the chance to win a prize of £500.
CMVC, by contrast, wanted to perform for free and raise funds for local charities.
The Inside Croydon report dubbed developers Westfield, who now control the Whitgift centre, as “Scrooges”.
The report went on to cover the choir’s participation in a fund-raising event at Croham Hurst Golf Club, South Croydon, on November 16. See the full story on this home page dated October 22.