A POPULAR choir returned to the stage to honour and remember a friend who lost her battle to ovarian cancer.

Jan Hinton was only 59 when she died in December. Despite struggling with a terminal illness, Jan, from Littlemoor, has supported One Voice Choir since she rehearsed and shared the Olympic stage with the choir and other massed voices in 2012.

Debbie Shaw, chairman of One Voice Choir said: “We wanted to pay tribute to Jan and her family. Jan had always been an ardent supporter of our choir and we miss her dreadfully. We felt it was a fitting tribute to hold this concert in her name and to support the GO Girls! of which she had been a very active member. We were thrilled to welcome her family to the concert.”

The concert began with a very special piece, Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen, which Alexandra Burke brought back to fame in her 2008 X Factor win. 

Choir leader Grazina Ellis said: “We knew this was Jan’s favourite piece of music and the choir wanted to sing this for her family to show their respects.”

Hilary Maxwell, chairman of GO Girls! and gynae-oncology specialist nurse at Dorset County Hospital said: “The concert was quite superb – to have such talent on our doorstep is a privilege and for this choir to choose GO Girls! to benefit was very special – we are constantly amazed by the generosity of Dorset residents to our cause and helping us spread awareness of ovarian cancer.”

Teresa Wolff, vice-chairman of GO Girls! Added: “Our appeal to raise £25,000 to provide a counselling suite as part of the Cancer Appeal at Dorset County Hospital received an incredible boost from One Voice Choir and we are truly grateful for the amazing generosity shown to us –thank you.”

Natalee Kavanagh, Jan’s daughter, will be following in her mother’s footsteps and be signing up to the choir and joining them in September as they rehearse towards their Christmas concert.
Hilary added: “I know it’s only summer, and we shouldn’t rush time away, but Teresa and I are already looking forward to the Christmas concert – no one should miss it.”

The choir are on their way to Lithuania in June, home of choir leader Grazina.

The concert was also supported by Mayor of Weymouth and Portland Cllr Brookes, who has chosen GO Girls! as one of his charities for the mayoral year.