Marazion Choir Appeal - BBC Radio Cornwall

As part of my audio-visual journalism module, I was asked to go out and record an original news story with a Cornish-focus - challenge accepted!

After being set this brief, I was at a fundraising concert for Marazion Apollo Male Voice Choir in the local hall and their Musical Director encouraged men in the audience to come along to rehearsals. I spoke to her afterwards and found out that the choir were suffering a decline in membership as they had lost members to covid which had a massive impact on their community.

I was invited along to one of their rehearsals to record some audio of them practicing and got talking to the members. As I looked around the hall, I could see all of the photos from the choir over the past hundred years and was really saddened at the thought of this tradition dying out. This led me to research the tradition of male voice choirs and get in touch with a Welsh director who had created a documentary a few years ago about Welsh

male voice choirs. He provided an insight into male voice singing across the country and how other choirs were also seeking to revive their membership.

I could see for myself the sense of community provided by these choirs from my time at the Marazion rehearsal and really wanted to share their story to hopefully encourage some more men to join their group. Once I had finished the audio package and article for my university submission, I contacted an editor at Radio Cornwall to see if the piece could be broadcast - and, if possible, be broadcast before the choir began their next set of rehearsals in the new year. I was very fortunate that the piece was able to be shared in a matter of days!

The choir shared the broadcast time and their members were able to tune in and listen to the piece - as well as it hopefully reaching some new potential members! I think this was defintely one of the most rewarding pieces of journalism I created as part of my first year and I hope to create some more content for the choir in the future.