The Lon Vane Ladies Choir has returned from a three-day tour of Belgium, which included taking part in the internationally renowned Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres.

The tour, which involved 44 people including 41 singers, musical director Christine Bregazzi, accompanist Wendy McDowell and a tour supporter, followed almost a year of planning and combined performances with visits to some of Belgium's best-known historic and cultural sites.

The choir's first concert was held at St George's Memorial Church in Ypres, a church built in 1927 to commemorate British and Commonwealth soldiers who died during the First World War.

Audience members remained after the performance to meet the choir and share their appreciation, while one choir member was joined by relatives who had travelled from Kent to attend the concert.

The second performance took place at Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk in the coastal town of De Panne, near the French border. Despite the church's challenging acoustics, the choir received a standing ovation and was asked to perform an encore.

The programme featured a mix of classical and contemporary choral music, traditional folk songs and readings celebrating Manx culture. Alongside familiar pieces from the choir's Guild repertoire, the performances included solos and the traditional Manx song Shiaull Ersooyl.

The final event of the tour saw the choir invited to perform during the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres. The daily ceremony, held since 1928 apart from a brief interruption during the Second World War, commemorates the soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient.

Following the sounding of the Last Post, a reading from Laurence Binyon's ‘For the Fallen’ and a piper's lament, the choir performed ‘Precious Lord, Take My Hand’ as wreaths were laid in remembrance of the fallen.

Musical director Christine Bregazzi commented: ‘This tour was everything we had hoped it would be and so much more.

‘The ladies represented the Isle of Man with tremendous pride, singing with warmth, commitment and real musical excellence throughout. We were welcomed so generously wherever we went and it was wonderful to share our Manx heritage through music.

‘Taking part in the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate was an immense privilege and undoubtedly the highlight of the tour. It is difficult to put into words the emotion of singing during such a significant act of remembrance. It was a moment of great reflection and gratitude that none of us will ever forget.

‘I am incredibly proud of every member of the choir and we are deeply grateful to the Isle of Man Arts Council and Peel Charity Shop for helping make the tour possible, as well as to Annie Kissack for her wonderful arrangement of Shiaull Ersooyl .

‘The warmth of the audiences, the standing ovation, the shared moments of remembrance and the privilege of singing beneath the Menin Gate combined to create a tour that will be remembered by everyone who took part for many years to come.’