Listen to the incredible 'car park choir' sing Lily Allen hit in Milton Keynes

The choir is from the city's Arts1 theatre school, which had planned a pre-Christmas concert this year.

Rehearsals had taken place on Zoom and the stage was set, but at the last minute the performance had to be cancelled.

Undaunted, the choir re-located to the car park outside the Linford Wood performing arts school. Members put up every set of fairy lights members could lay their hands on and using cars for additional lighting.

The show went on with an excellent rendition of Lily Allen’s Somewhere Only We Know.

The choir is made up of a wide range of singers with real jobs, including teachers, vets, recruiters, classroom assistants, charity workers, project managers and engineers.

“It says a lot that a giggle and a song in a car park has been a major highlight of the year! I feel so lucky to have my choir family to keep me going through all the uncertainty 2020 has brought us into," said member Steph Kimble, who is a primary school teacher.

Fellow member Laura Price , who is a keyworker at Age UK charity, said: “This year has seen separation from family. The Arts1 choir is another family to me and so to have the opportunity to sing with my choir family really gave my well-being such a lift.”

And Ruth Williams, who works as a freelance project manager, said: “Singing together is what brings us together. Singing has been my mental health lifesaver this year and this is much more than a choir.”

Another member, teaching assistant Cheryl James, said: “We find so much joy in performing as a choir that even standing in a car park with icy fingers and toes couldn’t stop us spreading some Christmas magic and sparkle through our shared love of singing.”

Finally, choir conductor and Arts1 Creative Director James Grimsey said: “Singing together is more than just making music, it is communicating in one voice, it brings together communities and gives us a shared language. Leading this committed team of singers that refused to give up is an absolute joy."

Arts1 is an independent theatre school based in Milton Keynes, providing a range of part-time performing arts classes and workshops for children, young people and adults.

Founded in 2006, its aim is to inspire students to achieve their potential in performance through learning from our excellent teachers and industry mentors in a safe and nurturing environment.