HABERDASHERS’ Monmouth School Prep Choir honoured songwriter Jake Thackray in singing one of his songs and it was aired on a BBC regional radio.

Jake Thackray was an acclaimed songwriter who lived most of his adult life in Monmouth and was a much-loved member of the local community.

The Haberdashers choir recorded ‘Joseph’, which was one of Thackray’s songs and sung this at their Christmas carol service. This service raised money for the Mayor’s Fund to help the town recover after the devastating flooding of Storm Claudia.

The children’s performance was captured and played by Radio Warrington on December 22 on ‘The Saloon: Andy Green’s Country and Folk Show’ - reflecting the hard work each pupil put into bringing Jake Thackray’s music back around.

The presenter said Haberdashers’ School “clearly have very good guitar teachers,” and praised the children on their talent, “this choir did a splendid job.”

The song ‘Joseph’ is a rare Christmas song which places Joseph himself at the heart of the story, exploring his wisdom, strength of character and quiet courage at a time of great uncertainty.

The children’s performance was found particularly moving for the audience, including Jake’s son, Tom Thackray, who was present at the concert and was visibly moved by his father’s work being brought back to life like this.

The song dates to Thackray’s time as a schoolteacher in Leeds in the 1960s and was originally written for the students he taught. To honour that spirit, the Monmouth Prep School performance went as far as recreating the original guitar and double bass parts from Thackray’s 1976 recording.

Haberdashers’ Monmouth School student Oliver M performed the double bass part originally played by Thackray’s close friend and collaborator Alun Williams, while guitar teacher Jason Staddon transcribed and performed Thackray’s intricate guitar accompaniment.