The City of Chester Male Voice Choir joined forces with celebrities to raise funds for a successful prisoner rehabilitation initiative.

The City of Chester Male Voice Choir sang for The Clink Charity which, through its Styal Prison Restaurant, transforms the lives of women prisoners through work-based training and education.

The women working in the restaurant are training towards City and Guilds NVQs in food service and preparation and are mentored following their release to help them find employment within the UK hospitality industry.

Opened in April 2015, The Clink Restaurant at HMP Styal is an innovative restaurant that delivers change to the community while offering a high end dining experience.

The Clink restaurant at Styal prison
The Clink restaurant at Styal prison

The choir performed two concerts while at Styal. In the afternoon they performed in the prison gym before an audience of more than a hundred prisoners as part of the rehabilitation programme. In the evening they sang for invited guests in the adjacent Clink Restaurant just outside the prison.

Guests for the evening event included BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin; while Dan Snow hosted the evening and his wife, Lady Edwina Grosvenor, who is a massive supporter of the charity, was guest speaker.

At the end of the event Dan and Lady Edwina entertained the gathering with a question and answer session on Dan’s life.

Always looking for new members, the choir invites men of all ages and abilities to go along to routine rehearsals on Sunday or Wednesday at Hoole Methodist Church in Hamilton Street, Hoole.

Ability to read music is not necessary and potential new members are mentored from day one. Details of membership and information about the choir including all its future concerts can be found on its website www.chestermalevoice.com.