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The event provided a fine evening of entertainment for a packed Abbey and also helped to raise money for the Musical Keys charity as well as helping University of East Anglia music student Samantha Jessop in her studies.

Samantha, who produced the event and who is in the third years of her degree, was praised by compere Brian Randall for undertaking “virtually all the arrangements” for the evening including booking the music, organising sponsorship and publicity and liaising with the charity.

Samantha, who is a former pupil of Hethersett High School, is creating quite a niche for herself in the local music scene and is a volunteer member of the Musical Keys group which has been running for over 20 years and provides musical therapy for children with a range of special needs and disabilities. The evening raised £1,600 for the charity and was sponsored by a number of local organisations including Wymondham Rotary Club, the Green Dragon Public House, Geo R Reeve Ltd Printers, Swinton and Company Chartered Accountants and Buckingham IT Consultancy.

The Encore Choir provided a range of harmonius music from George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun” to Sting’s “Fields of Gold” and medleys from Lord of the Rings and James Bond films. They rounded off the evening in style with the beautiful “River in Judea.”

Young virtuosos Lauren Causton and Charlotte Odell provided music by Mendelssohn, Faure and Shostakovich on flute, clarinets and saxophone, accompanied by Elaine Smith, and Samantha Jessop literally got into the act with a medley of songs from Sister Act where she was joined by a number of friends.

The audience were transported back to the “quieter days of music” by a number of songs, both traditional and contemporary, from the Broadside Revival Barber Shop Quartet.

The evening provided a fitting finale to a day of St George celebrations in the town. The event was attended by Sallie Eastik, manager of musical keys, who paid tribute to the efforts put in to bring Step into Spring to fruition.

“We are an independent charity relying for funds on grants and the generosity of our supporters. We truly appreciate all the work and effort that has gone into arranging tonight’s concert,” she said.