MEMBERS of the Forest Flute Choir were delighted when they received an unexpected £1,500 from The New Grove Trust, based in Monmouthshire.

The grant has helped the musical group to buy their very own bass flute supplied by DS Music in Monmouth.

Fiona Crawley, founder and conductor of the choir, said: "This has given the flute choir the most tremendous boost – bass flutes are incredibly expensive and although we were saving hard and raising money through concerts and other activities, it would have taken approximately four years to achieve our own bass.

The flute choir has been busy playing at lots of different events, including weddings, busking and general concerts and has also been the recipient of many very generous donations from societies and individuals.

Players all meet twice a month on Sunday afternoons at Parkend Memorial Hall and there are two sessions; 2pm-3pm for beginners to approximately grade 4 standard and 3pm-4pm for more advanced players.

No auditions are required and players can just turn up – all you need is a flute, a music stand and a sense of humour!

We welcome new members of any level and if you are interested please look at our website http://www.forestflutechoir.co.uk">www.forestflutechoir.co.uk . You can also follow us on facebook and twitter. The flute choir is now starting to raise cash to buy its own contrabass flute which will cost in the region of £5,000!" said Fiona, who can be contacted on 01594 563079.