Forty-eight singers from the Swindon Choral Society are tuning up and packing up ready for their summer concert followed by a mini tour in Europe.

Each night at Ypres' Menin Gate a moving ceremony is enacted, a lasting memorial to all those who died fighting for their country, with the haunting cry of the Last Post floating over Flanders Fields. The Swindon Choral Society will be performing a specially composed piece of music, written by their musical director, Robin Nelson, at this ceremony, which has taken place every day since 1928 except during the Second World War.

Kath Danswan from the society said: "When I started organising the tour I specifically asked if we could perform at the Menin Gate evening ceremony. The demand to sing there is so high that the application has to go in at least a year in advance.You then have to submit three or four pieces for approval of which two are chosen, so it was with great delight that we heard that Robin's own piece was approved.''

The singers will perform Agnus Dei from the Missa Brevis, that Robin composed, which was for a Mass in Santa Croche, Florence.

The choral society will also be travelling to Ghent and Bruges during the first week of July.

Before jetting off to Europe the singers will join the rest of the 110-strong society for Spring Into Summer, a concert held on Saturday, June 24 at St Mark's Church, Church Place, Swindon from 7.30pm.

The amateur singers programme will include the Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis, Stanford

Ave Maria, Schubert's The Long Day Closes, Sullivan and the world premiere of Robin work, all under his guiding conductor's baton accompanied by organist Simon Bertram.

There will be a retiring collection for TWIGS community gardens, the gardening charity that helps those suffering from mental health problems.

In its present form the choral society have been going since 1985 when the man wielding the directorship baton was Nicholas Riddle.

The society also have a CD entitled Lift Up Your Heads which was recorded in Marlborough College during the summer of 2010.

Tickets for the summer concert are £10 from www.swindonchoral.org.uk - Flicky Harrison