Celia, despite being the originator of the whole concept, is not the quickest off the mark when it comes to sending in her biog for the website. So we'll write something for her - she's beautiful, kind, has THE most gorgeous voice, is an inspiring voice teacher and an all-round good egg. Musical background: random
Blanche has various musical incarnations, some involving instruments, but singing is her first love. A lapsed archaeologist and decorator, she's now involved professionally with traditional music despite being equally at home with funk , latin or the songs of the 1920s & 30s. She's sung all her life, improvising harmonies ever since she found that her voice was too deep ever to sing the tune like everyone else.
Sue is an environmentalist who enjoys being on mountains and in rivers, preferably covered in mud. Despite having danced and sung since being a toddler, and coming from a very musical family, she has little serious musical experience. She loves grunge rock and other racketous noise and is bemused as to how she came to be in a folk band. She blames Celia and Blanche, with whom she has been singing for years. Singing with the Strumpets is about as much fun as she can imagine having publicly with three other women.
Helen Vincent
After an upbringing on a combination of classical and folk music Helen did a music degree at Exeter University. After this she lost her way slightly and spent the next seventeen years teaching in primary and secondary schools. Now she leads singing groups for people with Alzheimers as well as a couple of local Natural Voice groups. She connects with her classical roots occasionally by playing recorders in a Baroque chamber group and satisfies the folk urge with her English border bagpipes. She lives on a farm with sheep and cats and likes cauliflower cheese and the colour purple.