WINCHESTER Musicals and Opera Society (WMOS) has announced which charity it will support this year.

The group, which performs a musical or opera twice a year to raise money for a local charity, has announced that it will fundraise for Winchester Go LD. The charity enables adults with learning disabilities to live life to the full with the choices and independence that they want.

Members of the charity were invited to a rehearsal of WMOS’s latest show, HMS Pinafore, where they could meet the cast and learn more about what both groups do. Following a question-and-answer session, the members of Winchester Go LD taught the cast how to sign the lyrics to the Lion King’s Can you feel the love tonight and then watched a snippet of the cast rehearsing for the show.

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Betty Chadwick, chief executive of Winchester Go LD, said: “We are thrilled to have been chosen by WMOS as their charity of the year and are looking forward to the joint workshops. We've had some wonderful feedback from our members about how much they enjoyed visiting the cast.  We have some expert makaton signers in our Sign with Steve group who love sharing their knowledge and these events are a fantastic way to build confidence and develop our links with the local community”.

As well as fundraising, WMOS will work with Winchester Go LD on workshops, as well as invite members of the charity to performances of its production HMS Pinafore, which the company will be performing from July 18 to July 22. The show will be performed in the open air at Winchester College in a festival of theatre in partnership with Chesil Theatre.

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HMS Pinafore is a Gilbert and Sullivan story of lovers struggling against their difference in social class, with hilarious and farcical outcomes.

The production is set in 1944 and features a troupe of players at a railway station trying to get to their next venue. All trains are cancelled so they perform on the platform, building their set and unpacking the costumes.

To find out more about WMOS’ partnership with Winchester Go LD or get tickets for its latest show, visit wmos.org.uk.