THE Skipton Choir is determined to croon its way through the coronavirus.

The 80-strong choir, whose weekly rehearsals have been cancelled as a result of the government’s COVID 19 emergency measures, is planning to use virtual voices to stay on song during the crisis.

Musical director David Weale, said: “Everyone in the choir has been extremely saddened by the cancellation of rehearsals and concerts for the foreseeable future – but this is an unprecedented time and we were left with very little choice.

“However, thanks to online technology, amazing possibilities exist for choirs to still sing together – but remotely. So by providing members with rehearsal videos allowing them to learn their individual parts, we can work towards bringing everything together for an online performance.”

He added: “It means everyone can still sing, learn new songs and stay together as a community. But they can do it from the safety of their own homes where everyone is going to be spending a lot of time over the coming months.”

Choir chairman Carol Squire said: “Members of The Skipton Choir - formerly Rock Up and Sing - have been singing together for more than 10 years, so when we had to take the very difficult decision to suspend rehearsals last week, a lot of people were extremely upset. We’ve become quite a family over the years, so keeping the group going during the current public health crisis is really important.

‘Our musical director, David has been an incredible force for the choir so we are all looking forward to staying on song online with him. It’s going to be a lifeline for the choir during a very difficult time.’

The choir sings a wide range of contemporary music including popular songs and songs from films and theatre, all of which they sing in four-part harmony. Anyone, of any ability can join - all that is required of members is a passion for singing. The concerts raise money for charitable causes, mostly local.