Derby Hospitals Choir was originally formed in 1983 to perform a ‘one-off’ concert to raise money for the Macmillan Continuing Care Unit. It was so enjoyable that a committee was formed and another concert was arranged for Christmas 1984 – the rest is history! 2012 saw the Choir celebrate its 30th Anniversary Concert which raised a record £10,000 for the Royal Derby Hospital Respiratory Unit. Following our concert in 2019 we gave £10,000 to the Combined Cancer Unit at the Royal Derby Hospital. In September 2022 we restarted post-Covid, with a sold-out concert at St. John’s Methodist Church raising £1000 for the local hospital Diabetes and Endocrinology department.
In the first few years, the choir was made up mainly of staff from the Health Service. In 1986, there were mostly nurses in the choir with a few doctors, ambulance staff, administrative staff, and other health workers, all of whom wore their uniforms when performing. As the Choir is now made up of fewer medically qualified staff, we now all wear black skirts or trousers and white blouses or shirts – bright bow ties for the men and red scarves for the ladies.
Our annual Christmas Concert is usually performed at Derby Cathedral as near to Christmas as we can arrange it and weekly rehearsals start in September. The purpose of this concert is to provide a thoroughly enjoyable evening for all the family, as well as to raise money for a local healthcare-based charity within Derby and Southern Derbyshire. The choir has sung for a charity every year since that first concert in 1983, and so far has raised well over £170,000.
In 2023 we became a Registered Charity (No. 1204902) – you can see our updated Constitution and Charitable purpose on this Website. The Choir committee meets monthly throughout the year. A decision on which charity to support is normally made early in the New Year and the music programme for the Christmas Concert is agreed in June. The choir welcomes applications for support from the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust and any local charities concerned with the health of the people of Derby and surrounding areas. As mentioned, applications are considered early in the New Year and should you wish to put forward your charity for consideration then please email us using the contact page.