January

We had an early start to our concerts this year when we sang at the Tabernacle Chapel in Mumbles. They were raising awareness and funds for Prison Fellowship and a school in Zambia. It was a very spiritual affair with a number of former prisoners and serial offenders giving us an account of how their lives have been turned around since finding God. The church was full and the audience were very appreciative. The concert was organised by John Sampson and raised over £400 which has been shared between the two charities.

February

On Sunday 2nd we returned to St David’s Church, Morriston, to sing at a charity concert in aid of Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline. This is the second time we have supported this charity following on from the success of the concert last year. Once again we had Keely Morgan singing with us and also the Cwmrhydyceirw Junior School choir. The children sang with tremendous enthusiasm and were ably led by Miss Amy Hanley and Mrs Rebecca Wisby. The charity was formed following the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl in 1986. Belarus was the region worst hit and people still till the fields and eat produce affected by radiation. The charity gives children a chance to have a break from the relentless bombardment of radiation and medical opinion suggests that fresh food and good air will boost their damaged immune systems. A wonderful cause, which we are very happy to support and for more information please visit their website.

We are delighted to welcome Rob Smith to the choir following his successful audition. He has joined the baritone section and has also made a big difference to our average age. We have also had Josh Lehmann, from Berlin, singing with us for the last 2 months, but, regrettably, he is returning to Germany in March. We hope he has enjoyed his short time with us and it was great that he could join us for the concert in Swansea University on 28th. 

We held a lunchtime concert in Fulton Hall in Swansea University on Friday 28th where we were fortunate to perform in front of international singing star Bonnie Tyler. Bonnie is originally from Swansea and she introduced the choir in her inimitable style! Bonnie was the guest of the ‘Welcome To Wales Food Festival’ at the university to mark St David’s Day and was invited by the catering manager of the university, Les Carmichael, who also sings in our choir. The choir sang brilliantly, mainly singing items associated with Wales including ‘Cwm Rhondda’, ‘Delilah’, ‘O Gymru’ and the haunting melody of ‘Hiraeth’, a song about longing for your homeland. We were followed by a lovely performance from Amy Sinha, a singer, songwriter, who was ably accompanied by our own Steve Wilson. We had a superb lunch after the performance, again, provided by Les and his staff. To see some more pictures of this event please click here.

March

On Thursday 27th we sang at St Thomas church with the St Thomas Junior Community School choir. It was great to sing in the old church, which is not used during the winter, and for one of our choristers, Des Criddle, it was a return to where he sang, as a boy, in the church choir. Both choirs sang a number of items and we were able to perform Malotte’s ‘Lord’s Prayer’ for the first time. The concert ended with both choirs joining to sing ‘Amen’, ‘This Little Light Of Mine’ and ‘All You Need Is Love’ which brought the appreciative audience to its feet. The evening was compered by Rev Steven Bunting. To see some more pictures of this event please click here.

We are pleased to welcome back Roger Burrell to the choir following almost 10 years living in Spain. He said that he loved living in Spain but could not find a good choir to join and certainly not a male choir! We are delighted to have him back in the 2nd basses.

April

We were fortunate to sing in the lovely church of St Peter’s, Newton, following an invitation from the Singleton Singers, a ladies choir. The evening was introduced by Canon George Bennett and ably compered by Phillip Rogers. We were also joined by pianist Robert Marshall who played a number of solo items. During the concert we presented Alan Clewett with a 20 year tie. Alan is secretary of the choir and also sang at St Peter’s, as a boy, in the church choir. The concert ended with both choirs joining together to sing Mark Hayes’ beautiful arrangement of ‘The Water Is Wide’. The concert raised over £800 for church funds and the choir gave its services free of charge.

Following the concert we went to Clyne Farm to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of George and Ann Bowen. George is a very popular and faithful member of the choir (although he was allowed to miss the concert!!) and the food and drink provided was excellent. Music was provided by ‘Crying Out Loud – Cymru’ an excellent band who feature our own Steve Wilson on keyboards.  The highlight of the evening was everyone joining to sing ‘Stand By Me’.

May

On Friday 9th we were guests, for the 2nd year,  at the Tenovus Swansea ‘Sing With Us’ choir’s annual concert at All Saints, Oystermouth. Once again the Bishopston Primary School Choir also took part and they were very well drilled and sang beautifully. The Sing With Us choir were led by the inspirational Shoshana Pavett and were over 80 in number and they sang a number of upbeat items including some ‘Take That’ songs such as ‘Shine’. It was a highly entertaining evening and we brought the audience to its feet following our rendition of ‘All You Need Is Love’. The concert was a great success and raised over £1300 for the charity.

We held our Annual Dinner Dance on Saturday 31st at the Marriott Hotel. There was a good turnout with more than 80 choristers, wives and friends attending. The evening was organised by Clive Walters who put in a great deal of effort to make it such a success. Our president, Geoff Wheel, made a speech of thanks and the presentation of the ‘skull’ was made. There were a number of ‘misdemeanours’ this year, usually around turning up in wrong uniform, but the award went to Cliff Prosser, for his rather late attendance at a wedding on New Year’s Eve. We were well into our performance when he walked down the middle of the church, seemingly totally unaware of his lateness (20 minutes!), and just took his place in the middle of the front row of the 2nd tenors! Priceless.  (more photos)

June

Annual Concert

Our Annual Concert took place on June 28th at All Saints Church, Oystermouth. The venue was full to capacity and the choir was introduced by our Chairman, Ed Parton. We started with the rousing Welsh hymn ‘Cwm Rhondda’, which set the tone for a wonderful evening of singing.

The Gwalia Singers

Our guests this year were Parti Llwchwr, a small ladies choir from Loughor. They were formed in 1955 and have appeared many times on S4C and competed very successfully in Eisteddfodau across Wales. They were directed by Mrs Janet Jones and accompanied by D Huw Rees, who is also musical director of the Morriston Rugby Club Male Voice Choir. The blend of the excellent voices and musical phrasing makes them a joy to which to listen, and they closed their first section with ‘Anthem’ from ‘Chess’ to rapturous applause.
During the concert our President, Geoff Wheel, presented a 20 year tie to John Moses, one of our bottom bass section. John is a very loyal member of the choir and rarely misses any of our choir engagements. We completed the first half with the rousing ‘Prayer’ from ‘Lohengrin’.
After the interval we sang our next set including our own arrangement of ‘Delilah’ and Parti Llwchwr sang a number of Welsh items including 2 pieces by Robat Arwyn, ‘Anfonaf Angel’ and ‘Yfory’. We then sang our last set, starting with ‘This Is The Moment’ which was arranged by D Huw Rees, and ended with our own commemoration of the First World War entitled ‘Memories of the Great War’. This is a medley of songs put together by our musical team, which came out from the war and includes ‘It’s A Long Way To Tipperary’, ‘Over There’, and ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’. The choir then marches on the spot for ‘They Were Only Playing Leapfrog’ to the tune of ‘John Brown’s Body’ and we close with ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’.

The concert ended with the 2 choirs joining together to sing ‘An American Trilogy’, which featured our own Steve Wilson on the organ, and when it ended the audience rose to its feet in appreciation of another wonderful ‘annual’.
The choirs and guests then adjourned to a splendid buffet laid on by Carol Clewett and members of the Ladies section, and a bar was available organised by John Rickard. Many thanks to them and to the invaluable help we get from our Ladies section on the night, for stewarding and selling CD’s and during the year. Thanks to our main sponsor ‘Grwp Gwalia’ and to the many businesses and individuals who provide adverts for our programme. Thanks must also go to our musical team, Nick, Rhian and Steve who work so tirelessly to ensure the evening is a great success.
For more photographs of this event please click here.)

We sang at the Woodman on Friday 6th as part of the fund raising weekend held at the pub. There was a lot of entertainment going on and we were pleased to take part. It was windy outside so we had to sing among the tables (getting 45 singers in was a bit of a squeeze!), but it went well considering the difficulties. We gave our services for free and the weekend raised over £5000 for charity.

We are pleased to welcome Richard Adlam-Hill to the choir. He has passed his audition and taken his place in the first tenors. Congratulations to Richard.

July

On Sunday 27th, the Ladies committee had organised a garden party at our chairman, Ed Parton’s house. An excellent number turned up and over £450 was raised by the ladies through a number of raffles, games and bar takings. Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon was when a number of the men got into their swimming trunks and jumped into the pool! 

(Click here to see pictures in our Photo Gallery) Many thanks to Ed and Jan for letting us use their house and, once again, to the ladies for organising the event.

Following our annual concert we enjoyed a well earned rest of one week (!) before starting rehearsals again. We sang at the wedding of Robin and Emma Louise Wilson on Saturday July 26th, at St Michael’s Church, Loughor. Once again it was a bit of a squeeze getting us all in, but, with the help of the vicar, we managed to stage the choir partly in the sanctuary.

This was possibly the quickest wedding at which we have ever sung. The bride was a few minutes early, which meant that we did not sing all the songs before, as planned, and twenty minutes later we were singing for the signing of the register!

August

On Monday 4th we sang at a service at Clyne Chapel to commemorate the beginning of the First World War. It was a beautiful evening and it was held in the gardens of the church.

Singing outdoor is never the best acoustic and, with a slight breeze blowing, brought a few difficulties for the accompanist and MD. However, apart from a few pages trying to get away, it went well. Thanks to Brenda Stevens for organising the event and putting on refreshments after the singing.

We sang at St Hillary’s Church, Killay, on Saturday 9th. We were fortunate to be joined by Jonathon Lycett who was accompanied by John Davies. Jonathon, as always, was excellent even though his movement was hampered by a leg injury sustained while on holiday the week before. The concert was in aid of church funds.

On Saturday 23rd August we sang at the wedding of Suzanne Bessant at St Peter’s Church, Newton.

September

We travelled to St Paul les Dax, south west France, for our tour this year, leaving on Thursday 18th.  We had our usual stop in Sally Pussey’s Inn, just outside Royal Wootton Bassett, for lunch and went on to Gatwick for our evening flight to Bordeaux. Keeping us entertained on the bus was Gareth John with his ‘famous’ quizzes. We arrived at just past midnight at our hotel, the Hotel Caliceo, which was excellent. However, the lack of an open bar made us retire to our rooms at a reasonable hour!

On the Friday morning we were invited to the Mayor’s Parlour for refreshments and we sang ‘La Marseilliaise’ (the French National Anthem) and our own anthem for the dignitaries present.  We then went for an excellent lunch at ‘Campanile’, which was a short walk around the lake from the hotel.

Following this, we spent a quiet afternoon in preparation for our first concert later in the evening, which was held at St Paul’s church. The concert started at 8.30pm, which was rather late for us, but it is the tradition in France. This became evident when we were about to enter the church to sing, but were held up, due to the last minute arrival of many of the audience. In fact, the church was full when we started (surely holding 250), which was a huge fillip for the choir, who then enjoyed the excellent acoustic to give a rousing performance. We were joined by a small singing group from the locality, led by Antonio, who had a fine voice. We had learned ‘Cantique de Jean Racine’ by Faure, in French, which went down very well and suited the lovely ambience of the church. We finished with ‘An American Trilogy’ and received a deserved standing ovation. We then sang our own National Anthem, which seemed very popular in this rugby playing area of France. Following the concert we went back to ‘Campanile’ for refreshments and a few drinks.

We had arranged a visit to Jurancon on Saturday, for lunch and a trip around the famous Jurancon vineyard. We also had a short session of tasting their award winning wine and then made our way back, which somehow took half an hour less than getting there, as we took a ‘shortcut’!

We then got ready for our concert, which was held at St Bartholomews Church in Castets, which was about a half hour drive from our hotel. Again it was a late start and this time we were joined by ‘A mi Chant’ under the direction of Monique Gracie. They were an excellent local choir, singing the complete programme ‘a capella’ and many of the songs were of African origin. They finished their set with a very rhythmical version of ‘Kwmbayah’ accompanied by a conga drum. Following our last set we had another standing ovation from the packed audience. We were then treated to some great hospitality from ‘A mi Chant’ and had a really good afterglow with both choirs singing alternate items. A very enjoyable night was had by all.  

On Sunday a number of us went to Capbreton, a beautiful village on the coast and about 45 minutes drive from St Paul les Dax. We were dropped off and sent on a long walk around the harbour, which was full of sailing boats. Eventually we arrived at the seafront, which was really worth the wait. There was mile upon mile of golden sands and many restaurants by the beach. We had a lovely meal and walk, soaking up the warm sunshine, and found a shorter way back to our bus on our return (There’s a theme here!). We then went to St Paul les Dax rugby club, in the evening, for a short informal concert and spent many hours enjoying the hospitality of the club’s members.

We left on Monday after having a wonderful meal at the Hotel Caliceo and went to Bordeaux. We had a guided tour around the city, which is a fabulous place, on the Garonne River. It has lots of narrow streets, full of restaurants and shops, and many historical buildings. We eventually got back to Swansea at about 6.00am on Tuesday morning.

The entire trip had been organised by our hard working committee, but John ‘Wally’ Carey was the one who set the ball rolling. He has had an apartment in the village for many years and visits it regularly (we can see why!), and knows a number of influential contacts. He set up the concerts, meals, trips and visit to the local rugby club. He was ably assisted by Alan Clewett, secretary, and Adrian Crowley. We must also mention Nigel Norman, who is our linguist, and he was able to converse by email and phone and acted as our translator during our stay. This was a memorable trip – and arguably the best yet. Many thanks also to Nick (who also tried to introduce the concert items in French!), Rhian and Steve for their tremendous efforts in making the concerts such a success.

October 2014

No sooner had we returned from France, than we had a phone call from ‘Channel 4 TV’ who were recording a programme about popular Christmas songs. They wanted to include ‘Stop The Cavalry’, which we recorded over 30 years ago, with The Cory Band, and they wanted us to sing it again. Unfortunately, no chorister had a copy of the music, and, in fact, only 5 members remain who were on the original recording. Also, Channel 4 wanted to start recording from 13th October, just a couple of weeks to learn what was, basically, a new piece!! We also had no copies, no accompaniment, and no arrangement to work from. However, the boys worked very hard to learn the words and Steve created a wonderful multi-track accompaniment on his keyboard, and away we went.  Then, thank goodness, the date for the recording was put back to Tuesday 28th, at All Saints Church, Oystermouth.

In between all this, we had a wonderfully successful concert with the Sydney Welsh choir, from Australia, who were on a tour of Ireland, England and Wales. The concert was held in St Mary’s Church, Swansea, which proved a great venue, and was really well supported, with over 300 in the audience. The concert opened with both choirs singing the Australian National Anthem ‘Advance Australia Fair’ and the Sydney choir sang their first set. They started with ‘A Seekers Celebration’, a medley of songs by ‘The Seekers’ and they also included the piece ‘African Allelujah’ which was accompanied by a conga drum. Their last item was ‘Arglwydd Dyma Fi’ to the tune of Gwahoddiad, which was sung in Welsh.  (To watch recordings from this concert please click the links  ‘I’m Gonna Walk‘, ‘You Raise Me Up‘, ‘Delilah‘  and ‘African Alleluja‘)

We were then treated to some wonderful solos by Greg McCreanor, who had travelled with the choir from Australia. His superb baritone voice filled the church with ease and he sang a varied repertoire. We then sang our first set and ended the first half with our medley of songs from the First World War entitled ‘Memories of the Great War’.

We started the second half and our final item ‘An American Trilogy’ brought the appreciative audience to their feet. Greg then sang again and he finished with a great old favourite ‘The Floral Dance’ and this was followed by a narration by Clive Woosnam. The Sydney choir then sang their last set and finished to another standing ovation, when they sang ‘Y Tangnefeddwyr’, again, in Welsh. The two choirs then joined to sing ‘Cwm Rhondda’ which brought to an end a very special concert.

There were a number of presentations made by our President, Geoff Wheel, and our Ladies Committee presented a commemorative badge to each of the choristers from Australia. The concert finished with our National Anthem. We all then adjourned to the Cross Keys who provided a splendid buffet.

On Saturday 11th we sang at a special evening at the Marriott. Our chorister, and past chairman, Des Criddle was celebrating his Golden Wedding anniversary with his wife, Barbara. Des is a very faithful member of the choir and it was a great pleasure to sing for him.

We had another similar evening the following Sunday when we sang for an event organised by Chris Shaw. Chris is a founder member of the choir and he was celebrating his wife’s 70th birthday at the Village Hotel. Once again, we were delighted to attend, and the highlight of the evening was when Chris’ young grandson, Jack, joined us for a song. A new chorister in the making!!

Back in 1981 the Gwalia Singers and the Cory Band recorded their version of ‘Stop the Cavalry’.  Since then it has continued to be popular and every year is a hit at Christmas time in the USA.  Jona Lewie wrote and recorded the original version in 1980. A year later a record company brought together Swansea’s Gwalia Singers and Cardiff’s Cory Band to record a new arrangement of the song.  This version of the song remains one of the most requested of all holiday songs in parts of the USA and it has been suggested that it is “probably the most popular song ever by an artist who never had a charted recording”.

There are still five active members of the Gwalia Singers who took part in the original recording thirty-three years ago.  They are Chris Shaw, Ray Davies, Vernon Simons, Cliff Prosser and Terry Osborn.

They and the rest of the choir recorded and filmed a new version on Tuesday 28th October in All Saints Church in Oystermouth.

The recording company is Fresh One, a TV filming company set up by Jamie Oliver in 2000.  Jamie was determined to make popular television that lived up to the word ‘fresh’, new, unexpected, alive, and compelling.  He wanted to make quality programmes that were honest, intelligent and wherever possible, fun.  Since then Fresh has grown and built on these creative strengths delivering amazing, award winning content around the world.

The film will be shown as part of a programme called ‘Christmas Songs with a Story’ and will be shown on Channel 4 in the week leading up to christmas.

November

On Friday 14th we travelled to Bath to sing at a wedding in St John’s RC Church. Chloe Jeffries was marrying Lee Gavin and Chloe’s father, Barry, was a member of the choir for a short time some 15 years ago. Barry tragically died at a relatively young age, but Chloe had always wanted the choir to sing at her wedding, and, of course, we were delighted to oblige. It was a beautiful wedding and the church was a lovely place in which to sing. What’s more, the priest, and music director of the church, Rupert, were really helpful with moving instruments and arranging where we sang. We were also allowed the use of the church hall to change and leave our uniforms, until we were ready to leave. After the wedding we were treated to a buffet and drink at Garfunkel’s, at Chloe’s expense, and spent a few hours (having a few more drinks!) in Bath, until making our way back. We were really pleased to take 38 choristers with us, on a Friday, and many thanks to Chloe, Gavin and Stephanie, Chloe’s mother, for inviting us to join their special day.

Strangely, for the time of year, we are very busy, singing at a number of weddings. On Saturday 28th we sang at the wedding of Jay Lovell and Leanne Powell at St Illtyd’s Church, Port Tennant. It was a beautiful day and we sang at the signing, but, on this occasion, we were also treated to a solo from the bride’s father, Andrew. He was accompanied by our own Steve Wilson, who also played the organ for the service. We have another 2 weddings booked for next month, and also had to turn one down, as we are so busy! In fact, we will be singing at 7 events altogether during December.

On Thursday October 23, aged 72, Alvin Stardust, whose real name was Bernard Jewry, died from prostate cancer.  He married a Swansea girl, Julie Paton, and so had a close connection with Swansea.  Julie requested that his funeral be held at St Thomas’s Church, Port Tennent where they had a home for some time.  The funeral took place at 1:30 pm on Wednesday November 5th followed by a Harley Davidson Parade to the crematoriam.

Thirteen years ago the choir were invited to Guildford in Surrey to sing at the christening of Alvin Stardust’s daughter Millie. There were several stars present at this celebration including Boney M and Sir Cliff Richard, who subsequently became a patron of the Gwalia Singers.

Julie contacted the choir to ask if we would sing at his funeral. Although we don’t as a rule sing at funerals, except for choir members, we felt that an exception had to be made.  Julie said that as a result of their marriage Alvin always felt half Welsh and remembering the choirs visit to Surrey he wanted his funeral in Swansea and the Gwalia Singers to sing ‘Calon Lan’ which he loved.  We also sang ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ by Albert Hay Malotte.

Most of the choir were looking a bit untidy with stubble on their faces as it was week one of our Movember project.  During the month of November the Gwalia Singers are going to grow moustaches to raise money for Movember.  The photo is of the Gwalia Singers Movember Team at the start of the month.  

Movember is a charitable organisation committed to changing the face of men’s health.  Movember challenges men to grow moustaches during Movember (formerly known as November), to spark conversation and raise vital funds for its men’s health programs. 

The Movember charity has raised £346 million since it started and has funded over 800 programmes in 21 countries. This work is saving and improving the lives of men affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems.  To date, 4 million moustaches have been grown worldwide, and we hope to add to this total.

The Gwalia Singers could not think of a better project for a Male Voice Choir to support and hope to raise a large amount of money for this good cause.

December

Well, this was a December to remember. We sang at 7 events, altogether, in 17 days, and an appearance on television! The first, on Thursday December 4th, was our annual concert at the Vivian Hall in Blackpill. We have been doing this for at least 10 years now and it is the start of Christmas for many, especially the enthusiastic audience. We added a few new pieces to our repertoire this year including the lovely ‘Christmas Song’ and, of course, ‘Stop The Cavalry’. We also sang ‘O Holy Night’, ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘The First Noel’, which is sung to Pachelbel’s ‘canon in D’. We also sang a number of Christmas carols and the ’12 Days of Christmas’, with audience participation! On Friday 5th we made a return to Clyne Golf Club for their annual Christmas concert, and it was great to see the club full. Thanks to Clive Aston for his kind welcome and the committee for providing mulled wine and mince pies. We must also thank Steve again here, for taking his keyboard around all the events and accompanying ‘Stop The Cavalry’ and adding strings accompaniment for ‘Christmas Song’. He also played a duet with Rhian for ‘The First Noel’ and ‘Rhythm Of Life’.

We had our annual ‘Ladies Carol Concert’ on Tuesday 9th, which is organised by our ladies committee. Once again the scout hall at Brynmill was packed and the ladies provided an excellent buffet. The first part of the concert is given by the choir which is followed by the buffet. We then joined together to sing carols. A vote of thanks was given by the chairwoman, Lynda Lewis, and a raffle was also held.

On Thursday 11th we sang a lunch time recital at Swansea University, for the students and staff. This is always well received and organised by Les Carmichael, who is the catering manager at the University. He also provides us with a tremendous meal afterwards, which is very much appreciated. Thanks, Les.

We sang at St Thomas church, St Thomas on Tuesday 16th. We were delighted to be asked to be involved with this and managed to fit it in on our usual rehearsal night. Once again the St Thomas Community Primary School choir took part and also Cefn Hengoed Community School choir. The evening was introduced by Rev Steven Bunting and each choir sang items in turn. The school choirs were introduced by their headteachers and they sang some traditional Christmas items. We also sang a few Christmas carols with the audience and finished with all 3 choirs singing ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’. Following the concert we were treated, once again, to mulled wine and mince pies, in the church hall. Many thanks to Steven for organising the concert and, hopefully, we can make this an annual event.

On Friday 19th we sang at the wedding of Claire-Louise Collier and Andrew Millin at St Peter’s church Sketty. This wedding had structured our Christmas music, as Claire had requested a number of Christmas items, including ‘Christmas Song’, which the musical team arranged for the choir. There was a lovely relaxed atmosphere in the church and we sang the happy couple out with ‘All You Need Is Love’ and received a standing ovation from the guests, who stayed in the church until we finished. The following day we sang at another wedding at Llangyfelach church, this time it was for Deborah Bines and Justin Hastings. The church was full and we sang a number of items, as usual, including ‘Rhythm Of Life’, which we had to re-learn for the wedding. It was also great to have Stephen join with Rhian on the piano for this piece and he then played the organ, again with Rhian on piano, for ‘Cwm Rhondda’. We had another standing ovation from the guests, following these items. The most pleasing thing about these two weddings was that we had 40 singers on both occasions, a fantastic effort by the choristers following such a busy time. In fact, we can barely remember such a busy December, so huge thanks must go to Nick, Rhian, Stephen, and all the choristers, for their commitment to the events and making them so successful.

On Saturday 20th we featured on Channel 4’s programme ‘Rewind The Christmas Hits’, which was shown at 8.00 o’clock in the evening. The programme told a number of stories behind the well known Christmas hits over the last 40 years. As previously documented on our website, we sang ‘Stop The Cavalry’, but unknown to many of us, the original, by Jona Lewie, released in December 1980, was kept off the number 1 spot by the St Winifred’s School choir singing ‘There’s No-one Quite Like Grandma’!! Not strictly true, as ‘Stop The Cavalry’ actually only reached number 3, as there was a re-release of ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ by John Lennon, who tragically died earlier that month, which went to number two.