4th December 2017 - Dressing the Christmas Tree

On the 4th December it was time for the annual Dressing the Christmas Tree.

Nine schools came and presented their decorations to the Town Mayor Cllr Peter Lucey and Mini Mayor Caitlin and carols were led by the always fantastic Wokingham Choral Society. We had mice pies and hot chocolate supplied by Tesco and served by the Mayors Charities; Keep Mobile and WADE.

It was as ever a lovely event please check out the video below produced by Silk Purse Videos.





Attending Schools:

Foundry College
High Close School
Wescott School
Walter Infants School
St Teresa's School
St Pauls School
Emmbrook Infants School
All Saints School
Hawthorns School

2nd December 2015 - Dressing the Christmas Tree in Wokingham Market Place.

The 2^nd night of the Wokingham Living Advent Calendar saw 13 local schools present their handmade decorations to Wokingham Town Mayor Cllr Philip Mirfin, Cllr Andrew Waters and mini-mayor George Bradley.

Carols were led by Wokingham Choral Society including the classics Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing and O Come all Ye Faithful. 

Schools present decorations this year were:

Foundry College
High Close School
Evendons Primary School
Emmbrook Infants School
Wescott School
Walter Infant School
Hawthorne’s School
St Teresa’s School
All Saints School
Emmbrook Junior School
Westende School
St Pauls School
The Emmbrook School

Many thanks for all the schools for their beautiful decorations, I understand that they should be on the tree by the end of the week if not by the end of today.

Many thanks also to 1^st Winnersh Scouts for doing the refreshments and for Waitrose and Morrisons for donating mince pies.

Tonight don’t forget to be at Marks and Spencer’s at 6:15pm for the 3^rd evening of the Wokingham Living Advent Calendar. Thames Valley Chorus will be performing. Last year they did a very amusing rendition of “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas” if you didn’t see it you should take a quick peak back through the blog for it or watch the highlights reel from 2014.  

3rd December - Dressing the Christmas Tree

We were in for an extra-long treat yesterday evening with the annual Dressing the Christmas Tree.

Dressing the Christmas Tree traditionally occurs in the week after the Wokingham Winter Carnival, where decorations made by local school children join the lights on the large tree in the Market Place. This year this date also coincided with the Wokingham Living Advent Calendar, so it made sense to join the two. 

This year we saw 11 local schools take part producing a varied range of decorations, from laminated paper creations to recycled and repurposed containers made to a Christmas theme to more complex wooden shapes by the secondary schools, all brightly coloured and always inventive. 

In between the decorations being presented to the Mayor, Cllr Martin Bishop, and Mini Mayor, Joe, Wokingham Choral Society led us in a series of traditional carols, including Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night and finishing off with Jingle Bells. 

There was a great spirit to the at least 300 strong crowd, all singing along with gusto, braving the cold weather for around 45 minutes.  The cold staved off by warming drinks supplied by Just Around the Corner, a local young persons charity, and free gingerbread men and mince pies supplied by Tesco’s Waitrose and Morrisons. 

Tonight join us at Marks and Spencer for a very different performance.

4th December 2013 - Wokingham Choral Society at Herrington and Carmichael

For the 4^th Day of Advent, we had an almost concert hall feeling with the covered entrance to Herrington and Carmichael Solicitors echoing to the magnificent sounds of Wokingham Choral Society.

It was a chilly evening but around 50 people huddled together enjoying chocolates handed out by the solicitors and carols including We Wish you a Merry Christmas and other festive favorites. 

Wokingham Town Team took a video of the night which they have uploaded to their Facebook page. We hope that those of you not on Facebook will still be able to view it. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=485453438238893

 

Below are a selection of photos taken.

You can find out more about Wokingham Choral Society at www.wokingham-choral-society.org.uk and I am given to understand that the full 100 singers will be at their annual Christmas Carol Concert on Saturday 21^st December, 7:30pm at All Saints’ Church. 
 

We hope you will be able to join us tonight at Rococo, Bush Walk. It is also the first Town Team organised Late Shopping Thursdays. Some shops around town will be staying open to 7pm on Thursdays up to Christmas. www.wokinghamtownteam.co.uk for more.

December 21st 2012 - Wokingham Choral Society outside Waitrose

Back to work here and what should I find but a late Christmas present of a memory stick with some videos on it from the latter performances of the Living Advent Calendar. 

Here is a video from the performance of the Wokingham Choral Society outside Waitrose on the 22nd December 2012.

December 21st 2012 - Wokingham Choral Society at Waitrose

Wokingham Choral Society were our performers last night creating musical harmony and a traditional Christmas spirit outside Waitrose.

The 20 strong group led by Robert Grindley performed a selection of carols to a welcoming a crowd and capturing the passing shoppers, who couldn’t help singing along.

Enjoy some of our favourite Christmas Carols, sung unaccompanied in perfect 4-part harmony by the Chamber Choir section of Wokingham Choral Society. The full choir will perform its very popular Christmas Concert this year in St Paul's Church, Wokingham on December 22^nd. Wokingham Choral Society was formed in 1951 and has over 100 members. It performs three classical concerts and a Christmas concert each year. For details see www.wokingham-choral-society.org.uk

If you missed it why not join us tonight at Waitrose at 6:15pm for tonight's surprise performance and then join the Choral Society at St Pauls for 7:30pm for their Christmas Concert.

Here to remind you is a run down of where we will be each night until Christmas!

Saturday: We are back to Waitrose for a modern and amusing performance.

Sunday: It’s the Live Nativity on Elms Field (Remember 4:15 start for this one)

And Christmas Eve: Join us at All Saints Church for the finale.