A night to remember!

On the evening of 17th May 2025, in true Red Rosettes style, we enjoyed a jolly good party! We had two key milestones in our history to celebrate. The first was to recognise our recent success on the European stage from our first ever appearance at a European Barbershop Convention. Getting placed in the top 5 with our highest-ever contest score was really exciting, as well as humbling given the amazing talent that Europe offers in the barbershop world. The second reason for our celebrations was to mark our 45th birthday as a chorus!


Dual Celebration cake!
 

Back in July 1980, a number of “barbershop widows” were becoming increasingly frustrated that their husbands in the Red Rose Chorus were enjoying barbershop a bit too much and decided to do something about it. It was through this shared vision that Preston Ladies Barbershop Chorus was born, which later became more commonly known as the Red Rosettes Show Chorus. Forty-five years on, we continue to go from strength to strength.

We were really thrilled that a number of our wonderful founding members and past MDs were able to join us for our celebration event. Among them included Jean Gould, Dorothy Klemm, Susan Corcoran, Dorothy Jones, and former Red Rosettes MD, Linda Corcoran.


Founding members: Jean Gould, Dorothy Klemm, Susan Corcoran, Dorothy Jones, and Linda Corcoran

One of the beautiful things about the Red Rosettes is its rich legacy. The fact we have so many long-serving members is a testament to the wonderful community we have built over our 45 years, and our members’ commitment to our chorus family. Three particular long-serving members who deserve recognition are our three octogenarians, Pam, Jo and Patsy. We marked the evening with a few reflections from Honorary Member, Pam about some of her highlights over the forty-plus years of her service. Of course, there were too many to mention but it was wonderful to hear a few anecdotes. We continued the evening by awarding two new Honorary Memberships to Patsy and Jo, to recognise their commitment and contributions to the Red Rosettes over their many years.


Honorary Member, Pam 


Patsy and Jo receiving news of their Honorary Memberships


Patsy & Jo

We heard beautiful speeches both from current Chair Helen and our MD Emma who recognised that our successes as a chorus are as a result of the hard work and commitment of us all. Of course, as a chorus we couldn’t achieve anything without the clear steer and vision from our chorus leadership, and so we say a huge thank you to them both for this. The final formal part of our evening was led by Chorus Manager Teresa who gave out awards to members with 100% attendance, as a recognition that member commitment is a cornerstone to building success.


Red Rosettes Chair, Helen


Red Rosettes MD, Emma


Chorus Manager, Teresa and MD, Emma

Once the formalities were over, there was plenty of drinking, dancing and of course, singing! All-in-all, it was a wonderful evening, spent with the best people, on a beautiful sunny evening in the exquisite surroundings of Farington Lodge Hotel. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate two milestones in our history.