Trustee Candidates' Statements

James Heathcote, Tenor

(standing for re-election as Chair)

I spent my childhood in Bury before moving away for school, university and a 31 year career as a GP partner in South East London. On reaching the age of 60, I then happily ‘came home’ and now work part time.

I joined the choir in 2019 and became Chair in 2024 after a short spell as programme editor and Vice Chair.

It has been an interesting time with lots of highs to look back on, including last year’s sell-out performances of African Sanctus and Belshazzar’s Feast.

We are very lucky in the Bury Bach Choir to be able to sing wonderful music to a high standard and I hope that the next few years will see us push the boundaries a bit, work hard, stay financially solvent, enjoy each others’ company and be able to share our music more widely.

Vivienne Bush, Soprano 

(standing for election as Treasurer)

I joined the choir in 2009 and have very much enjoyed singing with the 1st sopranos for what is now 17 years. Music has always been an important part of my life, whether that has been singing or listening to music at home, music concerts and festivals. I especially value the experience of singing in community with the choir, which is so uplifting, and the opportunity to sing and perform a huge range of choral works is very exciting.

I am standing for election as a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the choir and hope to use my experience as a Chartered Accountant to further the aims of the choir and its members. I have over 30 years’ experience in senior finance roles in the tech and aerospace industries and have also served as treasurer for 10 years in a local church. I am now largely retired and am fortunate to be able to pursue other interests. I am in the final year of a BSc with the Open University alongside volunteer roles at the National Trust Ickworth Estate and as a public Governor for Suffolk at Royal Papworth Hospital.

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 re-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 re-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)

Music has been a passion of mine from a very young age. I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by a wide variety of musical genres, including classical music, which helped to develop a lifelong appreciation of the power and importance of music.

Alongside my busy life as a wife, mother of two and primary school teacher, I am also the Music and Art & Design Lead at my school. Through these roles, I have developed a deeper understanding of the ways in which music can enrich our lives, bring people together and intertwine so naturally with other forms of creativity and expression.

I have particularly enjoyed developing and using my skills in my role as New Members’ Secretary. Welcoming and supporting new members is something I find genuinely rewarding, as I have always loved helping others and making people feel included.

In this role, I have organised and supported new members as they begin their journey with the choir, helping to make their transition as smooth and enjoyable as possible. For me, it is important that new members not only feel confident about joining the choir, but also quickly experience the friendship, camaraderie and fellowship that make being part of a choir so special.

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 clocked up 40 years continuous service in 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.

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.

Alan Bulloch, Bass

(standing for election as Singing Members’ Representative)

When I moved to the area 3 years ago, having left a large and successful choir in Lymington, Hampshire, I was obviously looking for a similar opportunity in Bury St Edmunds.   After attending a Bury Bach Choir performance in the Cathedral, I was delighted to be given the chance to join, and have enjoyed being part of each concert ever since.

I am a retired accountant, and I would welcome the opportunity of being more involved with the operational side of the choir and seeing it continue to develop over the next few years, meeting the needs of the town for first class classical music experiences. 

Richard Fletcher, Tenor

(standing for election as Singing Members' Representative)

I have been singing second tenor with the choir for about eleven 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 six 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.

Helen Hancox, Tenor

(standing for election as Singing Members’ Representative)

 I joined the choir in April 2025, a week after I arrived in the UK after living in Germany for ten years. I’d seen leaflets about the choir months before when house hunting here and knew instantly I wanted to join – particularly for the chance to sing Mozart’s Requiem. I had sung for the last ten years in a German choir, which was much stiffer and much less fun than Bury Bach Choir has turned out to be.

Somehow I fell into a fantastic group of Tenors who made me feel at home straight away and have become a wonderful collection of close friends. I want to give something back to the choir for the welcome I received from everyone. I know how much hard work must go on in the background to make everything seem so well organised and efficient as a singer, so I feel that becoming a trustee would be a little that I can do to say thank you for the music and the friendship.

Andrew Hinchley, Bass

(standing for election as Singing Members’ Representative)

I am completing my first year in the choir. I have experience of numbers of choirs from small chamber choirs to large choirs like the Bury Bach Choir.   I have lived in central Bury for forty years, an amazing town to have the privilege to live in!

My musical interests are quite broad including of course the repertoire the BBC are likely to choose as well as solo interests around baroque, German Lieder and English song. I have extensive experience in singing in German and Italian.

I have relevant experience in trustee responsibilities through having co-founded two of Suffolk’s environment CIOs (fully Charity Commission registered charities). I have now passed on the management of these to others, so they do not any longer represent a significant diversion of my time.   

I do hope to get to know as many of the choir as possible, if elected and have signed up as a full member of the post concert Rising Sun gathering, as one way to talk to choir members!