MEMBERS of a melodious ensemble have notched a golden milestone.

St Helens Choral Society came into being in 1949, formed by 30 to 40 members of the disbanded Co-operative Choir.

For the first two years of its existence it was conducted by Douglas Kermode, a local schoolteacher.

At its first committee meeting held on December 12, 1949, the takings for a performance of Handel's 'Messiah' were recorded as £89 12s 6d and artists' fee as £36 15s 0d.

John Ramsden was the society's next conductor and by the time of a performance of Haydn's 'The Creation' in 1950 the choir had grown to 65 members.

After John Ramsden's retirement in 1968 the choir was extremely fortunate to gain the services of Emrys Jones, the present musical director. Under his excellent musicianship and guidance the society has gone from strength to strength, now numbering about 90 members and with a wide repertoire of choral music including works by Bach, Verdi, Mozart, Dvorak, Brahms, Rossini, Mendelssohn, Rutter and, of course, Handel and Elgar.

The society can boast of many notable soloists throughout its history, including Isabel Bailee, Valerie Masterson, Gladys Ripley, Raymond Herinck, John Mitchinson and Phillip Langridge. One of its most popular soloists, Phillip Ravenscroft, sang with the society for 25 years until his retirement in 1997.

A spokesperson for the society said: "St Helens Choral Society considers itself very fortunate to have such strong local support, not least from our president, John Tyrer, who shows his unfailing commitment in many ways, both practically and financially, and from our loyal audience and many helpers.

"One of our most popular concerts is always Handel's 'Messiah' and it was because of its popularity the society chose it to make a recording, as part of our jubilee celebrations, on both CD and tape."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.