The ‘calm’ choir Bearwood connecting people with friendships in the busy city

Amid the hustle and bustle of Birmingham and the Black Country has emerged a haven of calm. It’s not filled with silence though, but music.

The People’s Show Choir(TPSC) has many groups in its network but the one that has been described as the most serene is on the border between Sandwell and Birmingham in Bearwood.

There’s around 25 regular members at the Bearwood branch of The People’s Show Choir, who come together to chat, laugh and sing at Warley Woods Methodist Church in Abbey Road, Smethwick, every week during term time.

Unlike many of TPSCs, this one meets in the daytime, from 1.15pm to 2.45pm on Mondays. The timings mean it suits everyone from older people, who don’t want to be out at night to mums, who want to find time for themselves while their children are in school.

“It attracts people who don’t like to go out in the evening,” explained Bearwood TPSC’s choir leader Liz Read. “It still has a mix of all ages coming along though.”

This Bearwood choir was launched in January 2023 and has gone from strength to strength in the past three years. As it approaches its third anniversary, the members have formed friendships that go beyond just performing from sheets of music.

It’s people and somewhere to look forward to each week. A chat over a cuppa, an activity to keep the brain buzzing creatively and even meet-ups and group chats out of rehearsal.

That’s what The People’s Show Choir is all about. Part of national charity The People’s Orchestra, which aims to improve lives through music. That includes tapping into the power of community groups socialising together, even singing together, to reduce loneliness and isolation.

Feelings of loneliness on the rise

It’s telling that despite being based in the throng of the second largest city in the UK and in the West Midlands, where there’s now around 3million people, living in inner city suburbs can still be lonely.

In recent Opinions and Lifestyle surveys by The Office For National Statistics(ONS) for October 2025 on personal well-being, loneliness and what people in Great Britain felt were important issues, it found that 24% of those questioned said they felt lonely “often, always or some of the time”.

That’s one in every four people and a trend that has been gradually creeping up from a lower figure of 20% in March 2000 to 27% in September 2025.

Knowing your neighbours, let alone everyone in your street can now be a thing of the past, but amateur choirs and music groups like The People’s Show Choir, People’s Orchestra and its Rusty Players orchestras are providing friendly gatherings where all ages can nurture friendships and support.

A choir with “kindness”

“There’s a kindness towards each other at Bearwood TPSC and they really are a sociable lot,” added Liz.

“They’ve got to know each other and are very chatty in the whatsapp group outside of the choir rehearsals. They even arrange to meet up in the Summer holidays when the choir is on a break.

“I love how it is a nice calm group.”

Always welcoming new members, Bearwood TPSC encourages people from frequent singers to those who have never been in a choir before. There’s no audition to join the choir and no requirement to know how to read music as there’s plenty of guidance and support given along the way.

“The thing about choirs is that everyone picks things up in different,” said Liz. “As the choir leader, I’m here to help everyone and really enjoy seeing how members grow.

“One of the Bearwood ladies had her first concert within a few weeks of starting our choir and was so scared as the performance was going to be in Birmingham Town Hall of all places.

“She didn’t know what to expect as she had joined a small choir and was then told she’d be performing in somewhere as large and grand as the Town Hall, but there was no reason to be nervous.

“Once we’d finished learning everything and done the dress rehearsal, she felt much better and more confident. It’s often like that the first time someone does a mass concerts, but it’s an experience like no other.”

Liz plays the flute and has a passion for music, be it classical, pop and goth rock. She leads not just The People’s Show Choir for Bearwood, but two others in South Birmingham and Dorridge.

She uses her extensive musical ability to make rehearsals at Bearwood TPSC interesting and exciting.

Like all the People’s Show Choir groups across the country, the emphasis is on building a community with a sense of fun and musicality. Warm-ups are never the same and Liz relaxes choir members with exercises that fire up both brains and voices with some mental agility.

Singing exercises like tongue-twisters are part of the light-hearted sessions that also provide a place to learn new skills and make members feel like they are achieving in many new ways.

Choir members have described taking part at TPSC as “the best thing they ever did” and “never having so much fun before”.

There’s the chance to try taster sessions for The People’s Show Choir before committing to membership. Two sessions are offered free and there’s more information on this at the TPSC website.

For anyone interested in TPSC in Bearwood, members meet for weekly rehearsals at Warley Woods Methodist Church in Abbey Road, Smethwick, B67 5LS, every Monday during term time from 1.15pm to 2.45pm and newcomers can also turn up then to see what it’s like.