Over the holidays, we are very proud of Lily in Year 9 who sang at VJ Day 80: The Nation’s Tribute. Invited as part of National Children’s Choir of Great Britain, this prestigious event was attended by the King, Queen, Prime Minister, other senior members of the Armed Forces and invited veterans.

Lily writes:

On 15th August 2025 on the 80th anniversary of the Victory over Japan (VJ80), members of the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain (NCCGB), of which I am a member, took part in the commemoration of VJ 80 at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. We were told a couple of weeks in advance that the King, Queen and Prime Minister were going to be present and were sworn not to tell anyone until the day of our performance. The week before the event I was with NCCGB for a week’s residential course to enjoy making music with others who love singing as much as I do so we used this chance to rehearse as well as give a concert for the public at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. On the day we sang the underscore to some wonderful music played by a professional brass band and The Captives’ Hymn which was composed by Margaret Dryburgh in 1942 whilst she was a prisoner of the Japanese in the Palembang camp in Indonesia in 1942.  I was thrilled to be involved in this event and the opportunity to sing live on the BBC. The whole experience was absolutely incredible, especially when the Red Arrows flew right past me!

A huge congratulations from all at FHS to Lily for her great musical achievements over the summer holiday. If anyone is interested in learning more about National Children’s Choir of Great Britain, auditions are approaching this autumn for singers aged 8 to 18 years old. For more details, please speak to Mr Mercer, who is on the Music Team for NCCGB and would be happy to advise further.

Mr Mercer, Director of Co-Curricular Music