Watch NZH Local Focus: How the Hawke's Bay Community Choir is spreading festive cheer

They love to sing - and dance.

Putting community into the Hawke's Bay Community Choir.

This month the singers are spreading their festive cheer throughout Hawke's Bay visiting retirement villages.

"When the choir comes I like to sing along with them," a Mary Doyle Lifecare resident says.

"It 'happys' you up."

You don't need to be able to read music or take part in an audition to join the "natural voice" choir, song leader Chelsea Savaiinaea says.

"We like to sing for ourselves our main objective is we get to together and sing and learn new music but there is also an element of being out in the community," Mrs Savaiinaea says.

It's not your average choir - they call themselves "unconventional" and sing diverse songs, including some from Africa... and even some in Hebrew.

For the residents at Havelock North's Mary Doyle it was a sing-along like no other.

"Just the exuberance they showed and the happiness they exuded and they smiled at each other and it wasn't forced it was spontaneous, I've never seen such a spontaneous group," a resident says.

Mrs Savaiinaea says: "We do it if we think we can bring some joy to part of the community by connecting with them through music."

Music - the perfect gift to share during the festive season.

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