‘A fantastic evening’: Concert entertains 180 guests

Tonbridge School’s annual Community Concert was attended by 180 guests on Thursday (6 February).

Senior citizens were looked after throughout the evening by boys who are part of the Tonbridge Community Action (TCA) volunteering programme. One of the key dates in the TCA calendar, this hugely popular event has run each year for nearly four decades. “It’s my seventh time of coming along and it’s one of my favourite evenings of the year,” said one of the guests. 

The double act of Sixth Formers Charlie Thurston (JH5) and Archie Capon (WH5) were the evening’s compères, entertaining the audience with song and dance routines and slick repartee.  

The concert included solo performances on piano, saxophone, trombone and flute, as well as choral solos and singing groups. There were pieces by a newly formed TCA Ensemble and by string, violin and sax quartets, before the evening drew to a toe-tapping finale with the Big Band playing In the Mood. 

Prizes on the night were awarded to the guest who had lived in Tonbridge for the longest (91 years) and the evening’s most “senior guest” (aged 96). The Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Cllr Jill Anderson, hosted the event.

Tonbridge School’s Community Action Manager Juliet Burnett said: “We had a fantastic evening of music and companionship. I’d like to offer huge thanks to our musicians, parent and staff volunteers and, of course, our boys, who all made this such a memorable occasion. This year the Community Concert took place on national Time to Talk Day, and it was fitting that so many conversations were taking place across the generations.  

“Many Tonbridge boys spend their Wednesday afternoons on voluntary placements in local schools, care homes and charities, and hosting our guests during the concert is an important part of this year-round commitment.”