A CHOIR claiming to be Swindon's friendliest has celebrated its seventh birthday with a charity raffle and a singalong.

BigSingThing's birthday raffle raised money for Brighter Futures and special needs swimming charity Level Water. It adds to the £10,000 the group has already fundraised.

Helen Asprey, a member of the choir, said: "I'm so proud of all our members. We try to keep our fees as low as possible and our members are very generous in their support for local charities."

The choir meet every Monday at the Bible Society offices in Westlea and regularly perform concerts around Swindon.

"Since we started, we have sung and we have eaten a lot of cake," said musical director Val Weston.

"Our members have a lot of fun singing, and we have a lot of fun eating cake! We have raised such a huge sum for a range of local charities. This year we are raising money for Brighter Futures, close to the hearts of so many members, and for Level Water, which provides swimming lessons for children with special needs."

BigSingThing has around 70 members who meet for choir practice every Monday. The group is interested in hearing from people who want to join the choir.

For more, visit: www.bigsingthing.org.uk