Singers to compete for the clap-o-meter 'win'

Choir groups are preparing to go head-to-head in a competition where their performance is rated by audience applause and a 'clap-o-meter'.

Clash of the Choirs, held at St Mary's Church in Wedmore on Saturday evening, will see 10 groups made up of local school choirs and community choirs from around Somerset, compete for fun.

Organiser David Hopkins said with an audience of 300, it can be "a bit daunting for some, but it's all about bringing choirs together for fun and the more encouragement given to participants, the better".

Last year the event raised £2,500 for the local community, including paying for new heating for the church.

"The clap-o-meter is based on the cheering, so the needle moves round and lands on ambiguous things like 'astonishing' or 'unforgettable' or 'stunning', so it's all about encouragement," said Hopkins.

Crispin School Academy, based in Street, is competing for the first time with a choir of musical theatre students, aged 12 to 16.

Their teacher, Alison Cooper has taken part in the event with other choirs and said she is really looking forward to it.

"Small Somerset towns can be quite insular so it is a great opportunity for the students to go to Wedmore and perform," she said.

The Crispin choir will be performing a medley of songs from the musical Frozen for the event which is "very informal, very good fun and the audience is always very supportive," she added.

Cooper said she felt "lucky to spend time with such a lovely group of students, "who are 'super excited'for the performance and to hear other choirs too".

She added her advice to all the singers was "rehearse, rehearse, rehearse".

Clash of the Choirs takes place at 18:00 GMT on Saturday

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