We're the Pride of Shropshire

Last year's overall Pride of Shropshire champions were Meole's Got Talent, a community group from Shrewsbury. Ben Bentley heard how the group's popularity has grown since winning the award.

Stand outside one butcher's shop on a Saturday morning and you'll hear the chops.

Not the meat, the music. Inside this old butcher's store on the Meole Brace estate in Shrewsbury, a group of musical youngsters run through their tongue-twisting vocal warm-up – singing "The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue" – before launching into showstopping tunes from Mamma Mia!

Inspiring? You bet it is. Especially when you consider that not so long ago there were complaints from residents about crime and anti-social behaviour among the youth of the area.

• To meet this year's Pride of Shropshire nominees, see today's Shropshire Star

There was acknowledgement there was an issue with teenage drinking and the residents' group Meole Brace Community Action had been actively seeking to engage the kids.

They did, and the snappily titled musical group Meole's Got Talent was born, bringing together a group of young people aged between eight and 18 together in harmony and song, putting on workshops and shows.

One of their more recent stamps of approval came this time last year when it was crowned overall winner of the Pride of Shropshire Awards.

Gavin McKenzie, chairman of Meole Brace Community Action which helped facilitate the singing group in the first place, is reflecting on a fabulous 12 months, which has audibly illustrated how young talent can be nurtured, channelled and turned into a positive example to others of what can be done with time and effort and the power of music.

The singing workshops are run by Shropshire singing sensation Lorna Crosse, who was most certainly in tune with the youngsters and they simply clicked.

"Under Lorna's tuition they developed and wanted to perform, so two years ago they took part in the Teenage Kicks concert in Quarry Park, Shrewsbury.

"They did really well because it was pouring with rain and there they were singing musical numbers from Wicked and Grease.

"Of course, there were lots of other acts that were dead cool rock acts, whereas singing songs from Grease is perhaps not so cool."

But it was a start. The performances grew, as did members' confidence.

And since winning the Pride of Shropshire Awards it has grown still further. In the last year they have performed at the Meole Brace Community Acton group's AGM and at a police presentation awards ceremony, and are booked to play at numerous shows around Shropshire and Mid Wales.

Another result of winning the Shropshire Star award is that they are no longer short on members.

Says Gavin: "The group is constantly changing as children get older and leave, it's not the same as it was when it started.

"Since the Shropshire Star award there has been a lot of applications coming in from people wanting to join and they have started singing from scratch. It's quite an undertaking but it's been brilliant.

"In the past 12 months it's gone very well. We even ran a trip down to London to see the musical Wicked. They sang on the bus and it was rocking!"

Indeed it was. The Shropshire Star even received a letter from someone else on the bus, not connected to the group, who said how wonderful it was to be entertained all the way down to the capital.

Lorna Crosse adds: "It was the first time many of them had been to a show and some were crying. They still talk about it now."

The prize money from the awards also helped buy new T-shirts for the group to wear on stage, new song sheets and helped towards expenses for concerts.

"It goes on," says Gavin happily.

"It provides a number of children with a sense of success and gives them experience and respect of people in their community."

The positive notes keep coming.

Gavin continues: "In the past few years trouble on Meole estate is reduced and crime is down.

"A part of that is the police are getting tougher but it's also about changing culture and atmosphere.

"People can criticise and say it's rubbish, but it only takes one person to say 'Yes, but some of them can do things like this'.

"It does create an atmosphere and turns a negative into a positive. We have been trying to find a way to engage with youngsters since we started Meole Brace Community Action ten years ago, and this is great.

"It's a whole lot of stuff coming together at the right time."

Back at the former butcher's shop, appropriately called The Meat Place, the music never stops as youngsters sing their hearts out for two hours solid.

"We just sing the whole time we are here," says Lorna Crosse.

"The love it. The children keep bringing friends and there's more people all the time – it's got a life of its own.

"You can get to kids through music like no other way, it gets to the heart."

But right now there's work to do and this time it's a new Beatles medley featuring 15 of the Fabs' number-one hits – even though Lorna has to explain to all but two members of the group who The Beatles were.

So, has Meole still got talent? You bet it has. And one year on, the group can sing its own praises.