A NEW community singing group has celebrated its first year in Tavistock by giving a concert which has raised more than £1,000 for charity.

The Tavistock Warblers recently celebrated their first year anniversary under the leadership of Alison Moyna by holding a concert at The King’s venue in Tavistock in aid of Tavistock Area Support Services (TASS).

Alison has an extensive background in performing and teaching spanning over 30 years.

She originally worked as the musical director of a group called The Warblers in Broadstairs, Kent in 2006 where they performed until 2000 – the year when Alison moved to Gunnislake.

After graduating from the prestigious Mountview Academy in London, Alison performed in the West End for ten years in productions including 'Les Miserables', 'Fame', 'The Royal Variety Performance' and 'Blood Brothers'.

She has also taugh singing, dance and performing arts in numerous schools and colleges as well as being musical director for many productions in Kent.

She still performs all over the South West as a soloist at special events and weddings and teaches private singing lessons.

Alison said: “After happily settling in the South West I realised that I was very much missing the joyful weekly meetings with my choir friends, so I decided to gauge interest in starting up a new group in Tavistock. The interest was huge, so in March 2024 The Tavistock Warblers was formed with 26 new nervous and excited members.

“Some had singing experience and some came with none whatsoever. From the very first lesson the atmosphere was electric, filled with laughter, friendship and of course lots of singing.”

The choir have since performed at many events including Tavistock Fringe Festival and The Robey Trust Steam Fair and raised £273 for Tavistock Dartmoor Search and Rescue.

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