SINGING can be joyous and, to ensure everyone can appreciate the experience, a Wotton-under-Edge woman has launched three community choirs. Liz Martin is determined the choirs - in Wotton, Chipping Sodbury and Thornbury - be open to all whatever their singing talents. Gazette feature writer Kirsty Ramsden met Ms Martin to find out how the choirs endeavour to hit the right note with members.

HER own love of singing enticed Liz Martin to form community choirs in the towns of Wotton-under-Edge, Chipping Sodbury and Thornbury.

"I have always loved singing," said Ms Martin. "And I think everybody wants to sing."

However she realised some people were under the impression they had to be an accomplished singer to join a choir.

"So the idea of these choirs is that they are for anybody," she explained. "There are no auditions - they don't have to be able to read music."

Indeed the choirs are unaccompanied and Ms Martin rarely gives out song sheets with the words.

She believes although it may be harder initially to learn words without song sheets, the words will remain firmly in the memory using this technique.

"There is a very strong feeling that it is just us - just ourselves creating this lovely noise," she said.

The choirs sing world music including Mauri, African, English, Irish and native American songs.

Sometimes the choirs will sing in rounds. They celebrate the seasons and sing some sacred music of various religions.

The choirs have a "wonderful mix" of people, explained Ms Martin.

More women than men tend to be in the choirs - especially in the groups which meet during the day.

The age group of the singers tends to be from thirties to senior citizens.

Musical talent varies within the group - some are talented musicians and some, explained Ms Martin, joined the groups saying they could not sing.

The Wotton group, Round The Edge, was launched in April 2003 and has about 50 singers.

The group is meeting at the United Church, Bradley Street, while building works take place at the town's arts centre.

Round The Edge is frequently invited to perform at community events, which is does without charge.

At the end of last year the Wotton choir created a CD to raise funds for the town's art centre.

A choir member is in the recording industry and came up with the idea to make the CD.

Equipment was set up in the arts centre one Monday evening in November. Ms Martin explained the lights and heating had to be switched off because they made noises which were picked up by the recording equipment.

She even had to take off her shoes so she did not make a noise.

The choir arrived for 7.30pm and the last of the team did not leave until 1am. "It was really really fun but hard work and tiring," said Ms Martin.

Meanwhile the Chipping Sodbury group, Voices Together, meets on Friday mornings at the Old Grammar School.

It also receives invitations to sing at events such as Christmas parties.

This month Ms Martin launched a community choir at Thornbury.

She wanted to set up a choir in the town and fell in love with the venue, the Chantry.

The group meets on Tuesdays (9.30-11am).

The community choir sessions begin with a warm up.

"This can often involve doing silly things - sometimes just making a funny noise, stretching like a cat or making a huge sigh," said Ms Martin.

She explained choir members were supportive of each other and helpful.

"It is a social event - people are very uncritical," she said.

"A lot of what we do, although it is a very full sound, is not difficult. "The music seems to come from the heart."

She intends to keep the number of community choirs she leads to just three. She explained she felt very emotional about the choirs and believed she could not give to a fourth choir.

Ms Martin comes from a musical family.

"I've always done lots of music - particularly singing," she said.

"Wherever I have been I have wanted to sing."

She explained she wanted something less formal than a conventional choir. "I felt I wanted to sing for the joy of singing," she said.

She moved to Wotton five years ago and began singing with a group in Stroud. The choir leader was due to go away for three weeks and asked Ms Martin to take over for that time.

"I agreed to do it and when I did it I felt it a very natural place to be," she explained.