ILKLEY Choral Society has lost its last founder member.

Ilkley Choral Society was formed in 1949 and gave its first concert in Ilkley Parish Church on December 16 that year – a performance of Handel’s Messiah.

Among the sopranos that evening was Lydia Pettit, who was among the first members of the society recruited by its founder and conductor, Mr Charles Bainbridge.

Lydia has sung in nearly every one of the concerts performed by the Choral Society since then and was rehearsing with the Society until she fell ill four months ago. She died on December 26, aged 89. A service of remembrance was held in Christchurch with a packed congregation on December 30, attended by members of her family, the Choral Society, Christchurch members and many of her friends. A choir comprising of members of the Choral Society and Christchurch Choir sang at the service.

Lydia’s last sing with the Choral Society was at its Christmas social on December 15, where they sang favourite carols and was in the audience at the Carol Concert given by Ben Rhydding Primary School and the Choral Society the following evening.

With everyone dressed informally that night for the social, Lydia remembered how Charles Bainbridge expected the singers to be dressed in the early concerts. In the programme for the Choral Society’s 60th Anniversary Concert on December 12, 2009 she gave a description of the early days as a member of the Society “The concert dress in those days was dark suits for men and white dresses with long sleeves for the ladies. Out came our old wedding dresses or like me, straight to the charity shop. The ladies got into the habit of wearing no end of shiny jewellery for concerts and it dazzled Mr. Bainbridge, so it was banned for concert nights, as it is nowadays. We performed in the Parish Church or later the King’s Hall. We always had a cuppa after the concert and if it was in the Parish Church, we would go up to the school room at the Congregational Church on the Grove (now Christchurch) and we usually ended with a singsong or carols if it was near Christmas. The majority of new singers like me did not know a lot about oratorios except our church hymns and anthems, so we were literally starting from scratch with that Messiah.

“When we sang Messiah, Mr Bainbridge always took it a breakneck speed because he said ‘we have to finish the performance before 10pm, ‘cos if we don’t, we’ll have to pay the orchestra double fees!’”

Adrian Heeley, chairman, said: “Lydia was awarded honorary membership of the society for her unbroken service five years ago at the society’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. She not only sang with us but also was very good at helping to provide refreshments at rehearsals and we will miss her cheerful manner sitting on the front row of sopranos.

“One of Lydia’s last wishes before she fell ill was to sing at the Society’s concert to be given on March 28, 2015 at St Margaret’s Church. Not only is this concert the last to be given by our musical director, Mr Alan Horsey, who is retiring after 19 years at the helm, but it would have been Lydia’s 90th birthday and she vowed that this would be the last concert she sang in before she too ‘retired’. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.”