SONGSTRESS Jean Garvey, who celebrates her 90th birthday today (Wednesday, March 22), is still hitting all the right notes after 25 years with Redditch’s Bel Canto Singers. 

Jean, who said she will continue to sing with the choir until she is 100, joined the choir after giving up dancing and is now a stalwart member of the group. 

At school, Jean had been in the choir, and as a young woman sang with the Red Cross Choir in Birmingham but the years following were taken up with her dancing career, so it was only after her dance partner and husband Jack died that she met another Bel Canto member whilst out dog walking, who invited her to come along to the group. 

Jean and her husband Jack, whom she married in 1949, competed in ballroom and sequence dancing competitions in the UK and on the Continent and were once crowned Midlands champions.

Not blessed with children, dancing became their life and they became professional teachers of ballroom and sequence dancing - taking their students, often children, to competitions and instructing at night classes.

Sadly, Jack died suddenly at 65. 

When Jean joined the choir shortly after its formation, it was much smaller, and under the baton of creator Des Evans. 

It has evolved from its beginnings and is now a four-part choir of about 50 people. The Bel Canto Singers meet at Crabbs Cross Methodist Church every Monday night. 

The choir is holding its main concert of the year on May 20 at Cookhill Village Hall where Jean taught dancing for many years.
For more information go to belcantosingers.uk/page5.html.