Warminster Military Wives celebrate 13 years of singing in harmony

The Warminster Military Wives Choir continues to bring music and comfort to the community, uniting women with a shared connection to military life through song.

The choir, which has been running for 13 years, is open to anyone with a military connection – including those currently serving, veterans, mothers, sisters and daughters – and is encouraging new members to join.

Led by musical director Donna-Kate Wilson, the group’s motto is ‘sing, share and support.’

Founding member Sarah Gilbody has recently returned to the choir. She previously sang with a choir at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire and, after moving to Warminster, helped launch the group in 2011 alongside other military wives.

Since then, the Warminster Military Wives Choir has gone from strength to strength, performing at the Invictus Games, singing alongside Sir Cliff Richard and even featuring in the Military Wives movie.

They’ve also made it their mission to ensure no-one misses out on their performances. On one occasion, when an elderly lady was unable to leave her care home to attend a concert, the choir visited and sang by her bedside.

Following a rehearsal at the Garrison Church on Imber Road, Sarah said, “To mark our 13th birthday, we want to connect more with the community in Warminster and showcase who we are. We also want to build that awareness that we are here for both the serving and veteran community, and anyone impacted by military life.

“As a spouse of someone serving, it is really nice to go somewhere where everyone understands what that’s like.

“In 2009, there was a huge garrison deployment my husband was part of, and there have been many more since then. Singing takes me to a place of, even just for a few minutes, not thinking about where he is or what he’s doing. I can just focus on the tune.”

The choir is more than just music – it’s a network of mutual support. Members help one another with shopping, childcare, and provide a listening ear during difficult times.

Michelle Highlands, known by the nickname ‘Sparkles’, joined in 2016 through her husband, who was in the RAF.

She said, “My husband has been in every war since the Falklands – Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan. As soon as I joined the choir, he was deployed, just as the situation in Syria was escalating. It was a very scary period. I could come to choir and if someone said ‘how are you?’ and I said ‘not great today actually,’ they’d know exactly what I meant.”

Paula Thorpe, who runs the Warminster Book Festival, also sought solace in the choir when her husband Mark, an army GP, was serving in Afghanistan.

She said, “It’s made a massive difference to my life. My favourite memory has to be performing at the Invictus Games closing ceremony in 2014. We sang Stronger Together and Wherever You Are in front of 26,500 people. It was just fantastic.”

For Claire Winstanley, even being 39 weeks pregnant didn’t stop her from joining that performance.

Claire, whose son Harry delivers the Warminster Journal, said, “I was determined to take part because it was such an amazing opportunity. My husband drove me down and I stayed near the venue. Luckily, everything went smoothly and George arrived about a week later. Dean was in 847 Naval Air Squadron at the time – and George actually arrived at 8.47am!”

The rehearsal attended by the Journal was also the final one for Zoe Homfray-Cooper, whose husband is a padre. The couple has since moved to another posting, but Zoe said she leaves with lasting friendships and cherished memories.

She said, “When you sing, it’s like you release your spirit. The girls have been amazing during my time here – the camaraderie is so special. No-one quite knows what it’s like to be in this situation as a military wife. The song Stronger Together is my anthem. On my final night here, I’ll choose one last song to sing with the choir, which I know will be very emotional.”

The choir’s next performance will be at Holy Cross Church off the High Street in Seend at 7pm on Friday 9th May. Tickets are available by searching ‘Warminster Military Wives Choir Concert’ on www.eventbrite.co.uk.

Potential new members are welcome to attend an open evening on the first Monday of each month from 6.30pm to 10.30pm. No prior singing experience is necessary – for more information, email warminster@militarywiveschoirs.org or visit their Facebook page.