A singing fan is hoping to bring a bit of harmony to her community – by starting a new choir.

Natalie Kershaw had sung in choirs as a child and was keen to join one again. But when she could not find one, she decided to set one up herself.

She said: “I had been in choirs since I was about seven and I really wanted to get back into singing.

“There was also a lot of interest at the local church, but there was nothing local that people felt they could come to that was quite informal.

“So the idea behind the choir was to explore all kinds of music. It all stemmed from the fact that I have a passion for music and a passion for singing, and I felt that my local community needed something as well.”

Miss Kershaw, a private music teacher, said there were some choirs in the area, but they often needed participants to devote a lot of time to rehearsals.

In contrast, she said the new choir would be for all ages and would have a more relaxed style.

She said: “Who doesn’t like singing? Who doesn’t like music? It’s not about being the best singer, although if you can hold a tune it would help.

“It’s about coming together as a group and singing different kinds of music.

“We are going to be doing musical theatre, jazz, blues and easy listening as well as the more traditional things you might be used to hearing from choirs.

“But if you come to me with some ideas for songs, if you want to try some rock, let me know. I’ve been playing around with some Lady Gaga songs, trying to come up with some arrangement.”

Miss Kershaw is now looking for more singers, and there are already a number of young families and adults keen to join up. The choir will meet at St Matthew’s Church, Carr Bottom Road, Bankfoot, although it won’t be a church choir.

“We are just going to be using it, there are great acoustics in there,” Miss Kershaw said.

The first meeting is tomorrow from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Anyone aged six and over is welcome, but children aged 12 or under should be accompanied by an adult.