2017 is the 10th anniversary of the 43-strong Di Voci ladies choir who rehearse at the United Reformed Church, Bowdon on Monday evenings.

Two weeks ago, led by their musical director, Lorraine Brown, a professional soloist and singing teacher at Altrincham Girls Grammar School, they performed a mixture of secular, gospel and popular music at the Eglise St Louise en L’lle, a church on an island on the River Seine.

Choir member , Diane Jones, 57, from Grange Road, Bowdon, said: “The acoustics were so good that sometimes we had to pause between phrases because it took seconds for the sound to rise.

“The audience were wonderful. At the end, we sang Viva La Musica parading down the aisle to a standing ovation.”

Another triumph for Di Voci is being shortlisted for the final of the Great British Prom competition. The winner will sing at Bolesworth Castle near Tattenhall, Cheshire in September.

Diane said: “Entrants had to submit a video, and ours, accompanied by Abi Perry, has been uploaded on Sound Cloud. The judging is partly based on votes by listeners. So log on to soundcloud.com/user-450385004/divoci and give us your support.”

Previously, this enigmatic choir have won the Llandudno North Wales Choir competition and come first in their section in the Alderley Edge Music Festival.

“We were thrilled when, a year ago, musician and composer, Sasha Johnson-Manning, agreed to be our patron.

“We get something out of choir that you can’t get from anything else – camaraderie,” said Diane.

Every Christmas they perform for St Anne’s Hospice and this year’s spotlighted charity will be Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) which aims to prevent sudden cardiac deaths in young people.

* For more information, telephone 07887 610 891 or see divoci.co.uk.