Information for prospective Sponsors

 About us

SILVER LINING, a new ladies’ barbershop harmony chorus singing in 4-part harmony was a personal challenge for 5 friends in the Millennium 2000!  When the chorus was established in January 2000, there were 9 members and now, in 2010, it has approaching 40 members with several enquiries for membership in the pipeline. 

We meet every Wednesday evening at 7.30 p.m. at the XCEL Leisure Centre in Mitchell Avenue, Coventry CV4 8DY. 

Prospective sponsors are welcome to come along and listen to one of our sessions anytime!

SILVER LINING has already had a great result in the LABBS National Competitions, in October 2005 we finished top of Division II and in 2006 we sailed in to the 1st Division!  2007 saw the chorus win the "Best Small Chorus Trophy" and our Quartet "Bowled Over" won the "Most Improved Quartet Trophy".  There are around 50 ladies clubs nationwide and the association is a thriving, fun loving, educational group that is constantly evolving.  The chorus has won a trophy for first place in the History Book Competition with a collection of super record books, one for each year, containing photos and cuttings of our activities since the chorus began in January 2000.

About Barbershop Singing

Barbershop started in the USA at the time of prohibition when men used to find entertainment singing together in quartets.  The preservation of barbershop singing in the US is responsible for much of the revival of the genre taking it into schools and colleges and having a regular injection of young people leaving college and joining barbershop choruses.  The ladies decided that they could do just as well at harmony singing and finding themselves left at home they formed an association in America just for women. 

Barbershop Singing in the UK - The BBC Choir of the Year & Sainsbury's Choir of the Year serialised TV competition show has highlighted our hobby since the White Rosettes from Leeds were placed 1st and 2nd for several years in the single voice section.  With another show "Last Choir Standing" more people are now aware of what fun it is to sing with style!  SILVER LINING members are hoping to go into schools, ladies’ clubs & societies to promote unaccompanied harmony singing to a wider audience.   

LABBS - The Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers (LABBS) was founded in 1975 and SILVER LINING have been members since their successful application in 2000.  

Preparation for acceptance into LABBS entailed two assessments by the area representative, the first visit was to listen to our interim repertoire.  We then prepared for an open evening and a show for the public, including family and friends (our backbone supporters!).  The LABBS representative also needed to see that we were organising our committee and constitution in accordance with the association’s regulations.  The evening went with a swing and was a very successful launch for the chorus which went on to get through to the Association's annual competition finals at the first attempt in October 2001.  

Our concerts or “Singouts”

SILVER LINING has been busy supporting local charity events such as Baby Lifeline, Coventry Myton Hospice, Children in Need, Helen Ley and many others.  We have also done very well in attracting singouts for large and small corporate events and small private gatherings for birthdays, clubs and societies.  The chorus has sung in the bandstand for ‘Summer in the Parks’ run by Rugby City Council, a black tie event at Moreton Hall and for our Coventry Lord Mayors at their inaugural dinner in St Mary's Guildhall.  The Coventry Freeman's Guild have also engaged SILVER LINING to sing for their events several times in the St Mary's Guildhall Crypt, they have also been generous in their donations to support our fund raising. We have been asked on several occasions to support at concerts organised by the Cubbington Silver Band and by the Coventry Jaguar Band.  We also supported Cancer Research UK at the Stratford Music Festival.

Some great dual-purpose social/fund raising events have been held by the chorus (always with a singing element!), quiz nights, race nights, selling our homemade cakes at the Kenilworth Lions event in Abbey Fields and our Christmas Friends and Family Supper Show, all of which has helped the chorus to get this far.

We welcome enquiries from organisations and private individuals that are interested in engaging us to sing for them in any entertainment program.  If it is an event for a registered charity in Coventry and we are available, there is a minimal charge (on occasion no charge at all!).  When events are for private social gatherings, civic or company functions, our charges vary and we have received between £50 and £350 depending on what is required and how far we have to travel.  We are keen to make our hobby known and to publicise our chorus so any enquiry will be considered individually and on its own merits.

Sponsorship – What’s in it for sponsors?

 Sponsors of SILVER LINING would benefit from inclusion in the following publicity:

•     Publicity at singouts (event brochures, chorus banner etc.)

•     Local media coverage including press and radio

•     The chorus website, we could link your logo to our site

•     Promotional material such as posters that are displayed throughout the local area

•     Our stationery

•     On our costumes (in the form of a shared logo)