A £500 Test Valley Borough Council Councillor Community Grant was used to help stage a moving remembrance concert at St Nicholas Church, Longparish on 14th November.
Local Councillor Jim Neal awarded Longparish Village Choir the grant to help fund the event which marked the anniversary of the outbreak of World War One. Anyone can join the choir, which aims to offer local people the opportunity to take part in and experience choral music.
The requiem was performed to a slide show of World War One images. It included readings of some of the men of Longparish who died in the Great War and who are remembered on the village war memorial.
Councillor Neal said: “I am delighted to have helped the Longparish Village Choir mark such a significant anniversary. It is important that the community has the opportunity to remember the local people who gave their lives in the war and to learn about who they were, where they lived and how they died.”
Cathy Yelf, Director of the Longparish Village Choir added: “We are thankful to Councillor Neal and Test Valley Borough Council for their help to fund this important event. The research was conducted by local people and its legacy forms the basis of an exhibition which can be seen in the church until 15 December. It will also be available on the village website thereafter as valuable historical data for researchers and historians of the future.”
The Test Valley Borough Council Councillor Community Grant scheme helps to fund community-led initiatives. Local councillors allocate funds to projects that they identify as meeting a need in the community based on feedback and ideas from residents.
For more information about how community groups can apply for a grant or for contact details of your local councillor, please visit www.testvalley.gov.uk.
Congratulations to my brother James Neal for helping with such a worthwhile event, as all through his life, working for others.