Abbotskerswell Village Hall was all singing and all dancing on Saturday (November 16) as former and current members of a barbershop group based in Abbotskerswell gathered to celebrate 50 years since they first raised their voices.

The Chordettes toasted special guests including Lee Westlake, one of the founding members of the close harmony singing group who is still actively involved. National chair of the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers (LABBS) congratulated the singers, before an evening of singing and dancing.

The Chordettes were established in 1974 by Dorothy Tewson, who ran a small school on Coombe Vale Road in Teignmouth. After visiting her twin sister in Crawley and seeing her sing in a close harmony club, Dorothy decided to up a similar group in Devon. She asked her pupils if any of their mums sang and gathered a group of 12 interested mothers together to form an acapella singing group.

In the last half century The Chordettes have reached dizzying international heights. They won a Gold at the National Convention of British Barbershop Singers Chorus Championships in 1992.

In 1992, the Chordettes won Gold at the National Convention of British Barbershop Singers. This launched The Chordettes onto the international stage and they represented the UK with performances at the Carnegie Hall in New York and in Pittsburgh in the US in July 1994. The group also sang in San Francisco and Las Vegas in 2006 and has also visited The Netherlands.

There are currently 38 members of the Chordettes spanning an age range of nearly 70 years.

The close harmony singing group meets at Abbotskerswell Village Hall every Wednesday and regularly appears around the local area with a recent excursion to the Mare and Foal Sanctuary and performing at various Christmas events.

Last month, the group competed at the national LABBS convention in Bournemouth.