Chairperson – Carol ArmitageBorn in Huddersfield, Carol has lived for the last forty years in Brighouse. She is married to David and they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2020. They have two children Charles who lives in Atlanta USA with his wife Rachael, and Joanne who lives locally is married to Rich and they have a daughter Rosa.
Having trained at the North of England Secretarial College, Leeds, Carol worked in a secretarial role at Taylor Mills Ltd and then Kosset Carpets before having her family.
She has been a volunteer in various roles at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary since joining the League of Friends of the Huddersfield Hospitals in 1983 and becoming Chairman for ten years in 1998. She has volunteered on the Greenlea Oncology Unit since it opened in 1996 when she recruited a team of twenty volunteers to help on a rota basis.
Carol has enjoyed singing since her early schooldays and joined the school choir at Brentwood School, Southport. She had a break from singing for a long time before joining Honley Ladies Choir conducted by Catherine Williams where she also became Chairman for five years.
Interests are the theatre, cinema, travel, playing tennis (until two years ago), yoga and her adored granddaughter. Although she has no dogs now, for many years had Dalmatian dogs and bred a litter of puppies from one of them.
Carol, a soprano, has been a member of Overgate Hospice Choir since 2008 and always enjoys the camaraderie, rehearsing and performing a variety of concerts together and ultimately raising funds for Overgate Hospice.
Choir Secretary – Lesley HendersonLesley was born in Edinburgh but has lived in Halifax for the last forty-nine years. She is married to Ian, whom she met through singing and they have been married for fifty years
Lesley worked in various jobs some of which were voluntary and then, having completed an Open University degree went on to attend Manchester Metropolitan University to complete a BSc degree in Speech Pathology and Therapy. She then worked for nineteen years in the Speech and Language Therapy department of Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust.
Lesley’s interest in music was fostered from a very early age by her parents. In particular their interest was the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan and where other families played ‘I spy’ on long car journeys, Lesley was encouraged to ‘Name that tune’ from the operas. She went on to help backstage at Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan productions and then when old enough joined the chorus.
Later, she was a member of local G and S societies in West Yorkshire performing some of the mezzo and alto roles and also undertaking some administrative roles. Her final role was to jointly direct, with Ian, some of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas locally.
Lesley also sang with a group of four friends performing concerts for local care homes and church groups and was a member of The Pennine Singers, a ladies choir in Huddersfield.
Lesley’s interests include theatre, travel, running, walking and reading.
Lesley joined The Overgate Hospice Choir in 2012 and enjoys the variety of music the choir performs with the added bonus of raising money for the Overgate Hospice.
Membership Secretary – Joyce SharpFor the last twenty years Overgate Hospice Choir has been an important part of my life. I joined in 2000 and have only missed singing in two concerts since then. The first concert I sang in was Haydn’s Creation and this is still one of my favourites. I have also sung Carols in the Piece Hall and taken part in Light up a Life in the Hospice garden. Singing in the choir has introduced me to so much new music that I might not otherwise have encountered.
I have always been involved with music in some form or other, either singing in different choirs, playing the piano since I was a child, or learning other musical instruments. I studied music and piano with the late Harold Watkins Shaw and have sung his version of Messiah on several occasions.
For thirteen years I was Choir Treasurer and was proud to be part of our Silver Jubilee celebrations when we had raised an amazing £300,000 for the Hospice. Now, as Membership Secretary, I am happy to support the really worthwhile cause of fundraising for Overgate Hospice whilst enjoying myself singing and meeting many other like-minded friends.
Treasurer – Sue RosboroughI joined Overgate Hospice Choir in 2013 and have undertaken the role of Treasurer since 2018. I’ve been a singer all my life and am a firm believer in the power of music to improve people’s lives. Our family are all singers – we know it’s good for us physically, mentally and socially. The Overgate singers are a friendly bunch, all joined through the common aim of raising funds for the Hospice through singing.
I formed Halifax Young Singers in 1992 and continued in the role of Administrator until 2013. During this time I saw the impact of group music-making on hundreds of young people, and took the choir to Aachen on several occasions, including a magical trip in 1999 when HYS represented Halifax when Tony Blair was awarded the Charlemagne Prize.
My first concert with Overgate Hospice Choir was Elijah and this took me back 30 years to 1983 when, as a student in Leeds, I performed Elijah with Simon Lindley as conductor.
Overgate Hospice holds a special place in my heart for the care it has given to friends who have spent their last days there, and to their families. The support and care provided is immeasurable. It is a privilege to sing for Overgate and to undertake the Treasurer’s role, sending as much financial support as we can to Overgate through our concerts. Naturally I encourage my family to help and our daughters are never shy in their role with collection buckets for Overgate funds at the end of concerts.