Video: How grand finale of 'Front Door' choir united Burnley neighbours for one last tune

Last week saw the grand finale of the Front Door choir where neighbours on a cul de sac in Printers Fold came out every Tuesday evening for the past 11 weeks and sang together.

And the finale was that little bit special as the band, Baked A La Ska, performed live in the street.

Band member Chris Bridges, who lives in the cul de sac, invited his fellow performers for the final sing-a-long to make it an evening to remember.

And it certainly was when a patrol car arrived with police officers who issued a friendly message to make sure the music was turned down by 9pm.

The medley of songs sang at the finale was an eclectic mix of pop classics like Cars and Livin' On A Prayer to the classic wartime song We'll Meet Again. And the event was streamed live through The Gallery at Creative Arts in Burnley by owners Natalie George and Cain Bramley.

Chris, who is a composer and music teacher at Ridgewood Community High School in Burnley, came up with the idea for the Front Door choir when the pandemic put paid to the launch of the Impossible Choir.

With the aim to bring people together who love to sing, regardless of their ability, the first rehearsal, due to take place at The Gallery at Creative Arts, was cancelled due to lockdown. So The Impossible Choir meets the Front Door Choir was born!

He invited neighbours to stand on their drives and sing a selection of songs he chose every week. To kickstart them, Chris sang and played the keyboard in his front garden and he was joined by his son Lewis (21) on the guitar.

Talented teenage musician and resident Jude Marsden also played his guitar and filmed some of the sessions.

Chris said: "The front door choir has been a brilliant way to enjoy learning and playing loads of great songs aswell as a fantastic opportunity to get to know all the neighbours.

"The ongoing plan is to make the Impossible Choir happen as soon as possible and we are discussing the possibilities with the Gallery."

Natalie said they had been delighted to help with the live stream to showcase Chris' wonderful work adding: "Due to lockdown we first started doing live streams to deliver the work of local artistes to the public as a way of promoting their talent.

"We were forced into learning new methods to deliver an alternative way to document live performances since there was no other way to do it in a socially distanced way."

Neighbour Ceri Carmichael said the choir had been a fantastic morale booster for all the residents.

"It also shows just how important artistes and musicians are when it comes to looking after our mental and physical health,' she said.

"Chris is a fantastic musician and this wonderful event is all down to him.

"We are going to miss this every Tuesday but it is something we will always remember."