Even the local tough guy gets misty-eyed when Welsh voices launch into Men of Harlech in the movie Zulu.

Wales is famous for producing its male voice choirs, yet Swindon’s own 55-strong choir has topped the pops in Welsh festivals and eisteddfods on more than one occasion.

Over the years the Swindon Male Voice Choir beat the Welsh men at their own game by winning the Cardigan Eisteddfod and the North Wales Choral Festival at Llandudno twice, as well as closer to home festivals in Cheltenham.

The choir, which was set up originally in 1919 as the Railway Running Sheds Male Voice Choir, in the GWR works, is performing its Christmas Carol Concert next week. The concert is at Christ Church in Old Town, Swindon, and begins at 7.30pm on Friday, December 20.

Special guests joining the choir are the Janice Thompson Performance Trust Concert Choir and the Wroughton Silver Band.

The Swindon choir has a top team of professionals who put the singers through their paces to get them up to competition standard, and to maintain the high quality of harmony singing they are known for. The team are: director of music, Max Brookan-More, deputy director of music, Kate Lock and accompanist Francis Couldridge.

The choir perform abroad and in the UK regularly to raise cash for charity and the Christmas concert is in aid of CLICK Sargent for children with cancer.

Tickets are £6.50 from 01793 822495 or by emailing swindonmalevoicechoir@msn.com - Flicky Harrison