A Welsh male voice choir are grieving the loss of one of their members following an outbreak at their sold-out annual concert.
A number of members of the Cowbridge Male Voice Choir contracted coronavirus after performing in the annual concert at Cowbridge Leisure Centre in October.
The outbreak has led to the sad death of one of the members of the choir.
Read more: The latest update from the Welsh Government on whether more Covid restrictions will be needed.
A spokesperson for the choir said that a "significant number" of performers tested positive for Covid following the concert which took place on October 23.
Jon Wilks, vice-chair of the choir, said: "These are very trying times for the choir at the moment.
"We did undertake our annual concert at Cowbridge Leisure Centre on Saturday 23rd October.
"We did so with every attention to assessments, requirements and guidance from the Welsh Government. We are absolutely devastated right now that despite that, we have had the very sad news that one of our choristers has passed away earlier this week.
"We are a choir in grief.
"The fact is we did all that we could to protect our choristers from the effects of Covid and we are devastated that one of of choristers passed away on Monday this week."
Cowbridge Male Voice choir had told anyone attending the event that they had to be double vaccinated or bring evidence of a negative lateral flow test carried out less than 48 hours before the event.
Throughout the pandemic, the choir had rehearsed on Zoom.
The event details had said: "Cowbridge Male Voice Choir is rehearsed, ready and hugely excited to now perform 'in the flesh' for you and our many other supporters and fans.
To celebrate our 50th anniversary, the choir will perform songs from each era of our history, with favourites including Nidaros, If We Only Have Love, Morte Christe and Bohemian Rhapsody."
The choir's secretary John Williams had previously told Cowbridge Nub News that capacity was limited to 300 for the event, which is listed as having been sold out on the EventBrite tickets website.
“The leisure centre has been ever so good. We’ve done a risk assessment with them, and they’ve been very supportive and accomodating,” he said.
And he added: “This is our first major concert back since restrictions were relaxed."
Coronavirus vaccinations offer much protection against the virus, but it is still possible to contract Covid after both doses. The public are still advised to take precautions such as wearing a mask indoors, ensuring rooms are well-ventilated, and washing hands regularly.
Mr Wilks added: "We are a very tight knit group and it is horrible what has happened despite our best efforts."
The choir are asking for privacy and compassion at this time, and do not wish to disclose the identity of the deceased.
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