Trustee Candidates' Statements

James Heathcote, Tenor

(standing for re-election as Chair)

I joined Bury Bach Choir for the St Matthew Passion in 2019 and I love singing in a large and successful choir.

I became Chair in October 2024 and have (so far) enjoyed the many challenges and rewards of the job. 

My ambitions as Chair are to maintain the high standards that we have set ourselves, to remain solvent and to keep moving forward, and I believe that we all have a part to play in realising these ambitions in return for the joy of singing.

Richard Fletcher, Tenor

(standing for re-election as Treasurer)

I have been singing second tenor with the choir for about ten years. I enjoy the camaraderie of the tenor section and the exhilaration of singing with a good choir. I have acted as the choir treasurer for five years and appreciate being able to contribute to the life of the choir.

Gill and I have four children and two grandchildren who keep us busy. We enjoy gardening and travelling, I also keep bees. I am an electrical engineer, now largely retired, having worked most of my career as a fire investigator and managing director of a company of forensic scientists and engineers.

Paget Fulcher, Bass

(standing for re-election as Vice Chair)

I joined the choir at the beginning of 2023. I had been thinking of joining for a little while but when I saw that the spring concert included ‘Carmina Burana’ which I had really enjoyed singing 25 years earlier as a member of a similar choir in North Hertfordshire. My recollection had been that it was fairly straightforward – how the memory can play tricks! As well as singing with this choir, I also sing with the male voice choir and its offshoot the Edmunds Octet, the latter being famous for having twelve members, but gloriously directed by Benedict. I hope that my experience of singing in a range of choirs will enable me to bring additional insight to the committee.

Against the often expressed advice not to move to an area that you do not know when you retire, we moved from Hitchin in November 2018 to a house in Bury St Edmunds where the brewery is our neighbour. Mary, my wife, and I think that we could not have made a better choice. We found that we arrived in a town that has so much to offer in so many ways, but above all it is the friendliness of the people, and the choir has added yet another dimension to our lives.

Carolyn Heywood, Alto

(standing for re-election as Secretary)

I have been a member of the choir since 1975 when Mike and I came to live in Suffolk. Choral singing has been my constant enthusiasm from an early age, starting with school choirs, then while working in London and even when we lived for a while in Singapore. I am retired now but, apart from involvement in various ways with our farm machinery manufacturing business, I was a magistrate on the West Suffolk bench and an adviser at Citizens Advice, both for over 20 years. 

I have benefited enormously from the opportunities,  experiences and friendships that come with membership of our choir and I would love to think that we can offer a similar 50 years to any young member joining now!

Sarah Mansfield, Soprano

(standing for election as Marketing Manager)

I joined the choir in 2011, delighting in the opportunity to sing The Dream of Gerontius as my first Bury Bach Choir concert. It’s now a very important part of my life. 



Singing has been a central feature of my life since childhood. From singing the Latin mass each Sunday in my VERY Catholic upbringing and the chapel choir at school, to a brief stint with CUMS chorus at university (before rowing totally took over) and various church and community choirs. 

I qualified as a teacher in 1995 and have worked in various educational settings across a wide age range. My main subject is English Literature but I am also passionate about music education. I am a member of The Singing Schools Steering Group. 

I am standing for election to further contribute to the wonderful world of Bury Bach Choir as we move towards our centenary. 

Julia Rance, Soprano

(standing for re-election as New Members' Secretary)

I have always had a passion for music since a very young age and was brought up around a huge variation of genres, including classical music. I have a very busy life as a mum of two children and as a wife. I am a primary school teacher and a leader for music and art design at my school. This has helped me develop my knowledge and understanding of how music impacts our lives and entwines with the arts, too.

I have enjoyed developing my skills through offering the choir a face for the members, both new and yet to be! I envisage continuing to help others in the choir alongside this role of supporting and engaging others in joining, settling in and continuing to enjoy choir camaraderie and fellowship – after all, the choir is all about people!

Steve Ruthen, Bass

(standing for re-election as Concert Manager)

I’m a 2nd bass (only because there’s no 3rd bass part). I joined the choir in 2001 and my first concert was Handel’s Messiah. That was lucky as I’d last sung anything as a treble many years before, but I recognised some of the tunes. That’s my definition of sight reading.  I’m married to alto Sally and Wednesday evenings are almost sacred as the one pastime we share a passion for. Invariably when one of us likes a new work, the other is unconvinced. But by the end of the rehearsal schedule we normally have it nailed.

Since retirement I have gradually taken up small roles with various groups.  Other interests are chess (OK, for me it’s a drug) plus local history. Despite retiring from Greene King I remain a brewery guide there, and will clock up 40 years continuous service next April. I also have a passion for the wildlife of South Africa and have made several trips to remote places where the only antidote to a snake bite is don’t get bitten. 

Although I’ve been a member for many years, I never cease to wonder at the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes for every concert. I would like to play a small part in the choir’s continued success.