Choir of Carols sing Christmas carols together

Pippa Collins (bottom right) led 11 Carols in Christmas song

A group of Carols have sung together as a Christmas choir within an hour of meeting after answering a BBC local radio appeal.

Presenter Justin Dealey put a call out for anyone called Carol to join after a listener to his BBC Three Counties show suggested the idea.

The choir of 11 women from Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire was led by professional musician Pippa Collins.

Ms Collins, who leads The Jupiter Singers, said the experience was "absolutely new, a world first".

“The great thing is, everyone’s arriving and no one needs an introduction,” she added.

The choir of Carols squeezed into the studio to sing Christmas hymns

Within minutes the women had gathered at the BBC radio studios in Dunstable, and Ms Collins had formed them into a choir.

• Listen: The Carols singing carols

They recorded performances of carol favourites Hark the Herald Angels and Silent Night, complete with traditional harmonies.

The 11 Carols from across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire performed on air after only meeting an hour earlier

Listener Alan Williams, who came up with the idea, said: “I thought that this must have been suggested before, but Justin said it had never been used in all of his years of presenting on radio."

Presenter Justin Dealey dedicated the even to "all Carols everywhere".

Presenter Justin Dealey said: “It was utter chaos. I never thought in a million years that we’d be able to pull this off, but we have.”

He dedicated the event to women sharing their name with Christmas songs.

“This is for Carols everywhere,” he said.