News | St Mary's Church, Redbourn

This autumn marks an exciting new chapter for music at St Mary’s, with two new choirs launching in Redbourn, alongside new opportunities to join our existing St Mary’s Church Choir.

Whether you’re a child taking your first steps into music, someone who loves singing but has never joined a choir, or an experienced singer looking for something new, there’s an opportunity to get involved.

We’re delighted to welcome Ben Wingfield as our new Music Outreach Director. Ben will be helping us develop singing and music at St Mary’s and across the wider Redbourn community.

Junior Choir – Year 3+

Our new-look Junior Choir begins on Thursday 1 October, meeting from 6.15–7.15pm during term time.

Open to children in Year 3 and above, the choir will offer a fun and welcoming environment in which children can discover the joy of singing while receiving a free musical education.

As well as developing their singing and musicianship, children will have opportunities to make new friends, build confidence and perform – with the possibility of earning some pocket money through their choir involvement too!

Find out more and register your interest:
https://stmarysredbourn.churchsuite.com/-/forms/hnew6lb5

New Redbourn Community Choir

Always fancied joining a choir? Love singing but never sung with other people? Or perhaps you’re already an experienced singer?

Our new Redbourn Community Choir starts on Thursday 10 September, meeting from 7.45–9pm during term time.

This really is a choir for the whole community. We’ll sing a wide variety of music, from pop and show tunes to classical music, and you don’t need any previous experience to take part.

There are no auditions, no experience is needed and it’s completely free. Come on your own, come with a friend – just come and sing!

Find out more and register your interest:
https://stmarysredbourn.churchsuite.com/-/forms/e4goy4n9

St Mary’s Church Choir

Alongside these two new choirs, our established St Mary’s Church Choir is always open to new members of all ages.

The Church Choir offers a different kind of choral experience, for those who would like to develop their musical skills while helping to lead the music in our worship.

The choir sings in a wide range of musical styles and regularly leads the music at our Sunday 10.00am service, as well as taking part in Carol Services, Choral Evensong and other special services and events.

Teens and students are very welcome too. Joining the choir is a wonderful opportunity to develop singing and music-reading skills, learn to sing confidently with others and develop a musical skill that can last a lifetime.

Rehearsals take place on Fridays from 7.00–8.30pm.

Find out more about St Mary’s Church Choir:
https://stmarysredbourn.org/the-church-family/the-choir/

Meet Ben Wingfield

At the heart of this new chapter will be our new Music Outreach Director, Ben Wingfield, who joins us in September.

Ben is a highly experienced and enthusiastic musician with a passion for community engagement. A former chorister at King’s College, Cambridge, and Organ Scholar at University College, Oxford, he went on to become Director of Music at The Perse School in Cambridge before moving into freelance musicianship, specialising in music outreach.

Alongside his new role at St Mary’s, Ben has recently been appointed as the first leader of Ely Cathedral’s new Schools Singing Programme, bringing interactive choral workshops to hundreds of pupils across Cambridgeshire.

Away from music, Ben enjoys cooking – he makes a particularly good pie! – knitting and tackling cryptic crosswords.

Ben says:

“I can’t wait to get to know, and work with, the lovely people of Redbourn who have already made me feel so welcome.”

Come and sing!

Three choirs. Different styles. Different experiences. One invitation: come and sing!

Music is good for the brain, good for the body and good for the soul – and we’d love to see more people from across Redbourn discovering the joy of singing together.

Whether you’re 8 or 80, a complete beginner or an experienced singer, take a look at the information below and find the choir that sounds right for you.

Come and be part of an exciting new chapter for music at St Mary’s.

What an incredibly fun, happy and action-packed week we had at St Mary’s Holiday Club!

This year’s theme was Kingdom Builders, and the children threw themselves into a brilliant week of Lego and Minecraft-inspired activities, alongside all the things that make Holiday Club such a special part of the summer at St Mary’s.

There was creativity everywhere, from the Craft Tent to the amazing Minecraft Self-Portraits created by every child. One of the highlights of the week was a fabulous model village of Redbourn, complete with an impressive collection of recognisable buildings, landmarks and local people.

The children also tackled Daily Challenges, enjoyed plenty of Physical Activities and outdoor games, and had time each day for quieter Reflections. Singing and Stories brought everyone together, with lots of laughter, enthusiasm and friendship throughout the week.

With the children rotating through different activities each day, there was always something new to discover and enjoy.

A huge thank you goes to Revd Rachel and our wonderful team of adult and teenage volunteers, who gave so generously of their time, energy and enthusiasm to make the week possible. Holiday Club simply couldn’t happen without them.

And, of course, thank you to all our brilliant Holiday Clubbers for bringing so much energy and joy to St Mary’s. We loved spending the week with you and hope you had as much fun as we did!

📸 Click on the images below to take a look through some of our favourite photos from a wonderful week at St Mary’s Holiday Club.