Natalie Lane (Australia)
I wanted to write and express my sincere appreciation for the wonderful welcome and time I had at your recent North Wales Choral Festival (November 6-8). I made contact with David Hudson who was so very kind and helpful with my queries and my planning and then, upon arrival, others in your staff, Rachel Gill, Natalie and Nicki, were also so welcoming and generous with their time, introducing me to people, making me feel comfortable and included - I was so touched and so grateful for this unexpected gift of everyone taking the time in what I appreciate is a busy event to put on.
I had a marvellous time at the Festival heats and the concert - Dilwyn was a hilarious host and also made me feel very welcomed at the event, with other performers and audience members often coming up to me to say hello and welcome me to Wales! It was a joy also meeting and chatting with local Council member Graham Rees and his lovely wife Jill who was also so kind to me. What a beautiful community of people you have! In fact, I found North Wales to be nothing but extremely open and generous and helpful at every turn.
I stayed the bulk of my trip in breath-taking Betws-y-Coed and I have been unable to describe the sublime and staggering beauty of the area to my friends back home. I become quite emotional when trying to conjure up the right words to explain how exquisite North Wales is - every road a pleasure to drive on, every hill and mountain scape right off a postcard; every rainy day just as beautiful as a sunny one; every walk through the woods a thrill of discovery. Shop assistants, strangers on the street, tourist information and library staff, train conductors - everyone I interacted with was so kind.
Thank you so much for your care and generosity during my attendance at the Festival. I'm so glad that I travelled to North Wales for it, fulfilling my dream to not only visit your fair country, but to also hear Welsh men sing!! Another true highlight of the Festival for me was the ladies barbershop - incredible!!! Having the performers in the auditorium encouraged mingling and camaraderie which was wonderful, and the spontaneous singing between the heats by many of the performers was such a gift too -- I could go on and on, I have so many great memories!
Thank you all again for being such a feature of my recent trip to your spectacular part of Wales. You are so blessed to live, work and play in such a precious gem of a location. I hope to return again, circumstances permitting!