Introducing Cerys Bevan, musical director of Valley Rock Voices – an all-female choir based in Neath.
Discover why Cerys created the choir, and why she chose Neath for its headquarters:
“Valley Rock Voices has been going for eight years now, and two years ago we started using Neath Town Hall as our base for rehearsals. The acoustics are absolutely brilliant in here and the space is fantastic – it’s just a great place to gather and sing our hearts out.
“I started the choir eight years ago, when it was just me and twelve friends from Neath. I grew up in Neath, so I knew a lot of ladies who I could enlist into the choir. Fast forward to eight years later, and there are now 230 ladies!
“There’s a bit of a story behind why I started the choir. My son, Sam, had open heart surgery when he was a baby, and then when he was eighteen, he had to have the surgery again. I went straight into Mother-mode and was just laser focused on Sam and nurturing him back to full health. Along the way, I lost my mojo for music making and having fun with my hobby, and there came a time when I realised this and was determined to get myself back.
“I realised that singing was my happy place, and recognised that I needed to make time for myself again, which is when Valley Rock Voices was born.
“I’m so proud to have created a community for so many women from all walks of life, who find solace and happiness in being part of this choir. We have ladies who have retired from work and have found it difficult to make friends, but coming here has given them the opportunity to meet new people and have a good chat. We also have mums whose lives have revolved around their families for so long that they haven’t prioritised themselves, so coming here has given them a new lease of life and it’s something just for them.
“Our youngest member is 20 years old, and our oldest member is 80 years old, and we really are like a big family! We sing everything from Stormzy to ABBA, and the atmosphere when we’re all singing together is electric. “I’ve got lots of favourite things about Neath Port Talbot. I love the community feel. I love the fact that I can park the car, walk to the shops, and bump into about ten people on the way and have a chat. It’s such a friendly, gregarious, and outgoing town, and I’m proud to be a Neath girl through and through.”