A HAMPSHIRE duo are launching a choir for those who have been told they sing out of tune.

Mo McCallum and Jon Booth have set up the Solent Tuneless Choir for self-confessed terrible singers who want to improve their voices.

The choir, which is set to meet weekly during school term time, will tackle popular songs from a number of genres, with no pressure to hit any particular note.

Jon, from Lee-on-the-Solent, is a music therapist who works in schools for children with special needs and adolescents with mental health problems, while Mo is a retired accountant and an active member of the local WI at Stokes Bay and Meon Ramblers.

Jon said the Tuneless Choir was all about creating an “open ethos”, saying: “Everybody has the right to sing. Everybody should be able to get together and sing. This is about participating rather than polished performance.

“We hope to attract people from the whole Solent area including Portsmouth and Southampton. The more, the merrier!”

The original concept was started in January 2016 by Nadine Cooper who launched the first class in West Bridgeford, Nottingham. More than 10 groups have sprung up in the past 15 months.

Sian Thomas, who owns a personal-training business and is a regular member of the Cardiff Group, said: “I love choir practice, it’s such a laugh and it’s so good for your mood. I’m always telling people to exercise because it releases endorphins and I now I realise that singing does exactly the same thing!”

The choir launch follows research last year by the Royal College of Music has shown that singing in a choir reduces anxiety and stress and can even boost levels of immune proteins in people affected by cancer.

Dr Ian Lewis, co-author of the research, said: “We’ve long heard anecdotal evidence that singing as part of a choir makes people feel good, but this is the first time it’s been demonstrated that the immune system can be affected by singing.

“It’s really exciting and could enhance the way we support people with cancer in the future.”

The Solent’s Tuneless Choir will launch on Tuesday, May 9, at 7.30pm, at the Holy Rood Church Centre in Stubbington.

For any more information about the choir email solent@tunelesschoir.com or call Mo on 07854 407579.