It was with great sorrow that Northampton Male Voice Choir (NMVC) learned of the death of its President, David Laing CBE and, in his honour, the choir stood for a one minute silence as a tribute and in remembrance at a recent rehearsal.

NMVC Chairman, Mark York, said ‘We were all deeply saddened when we first heard about David’s illness at the start of this year though during our recent conversations, David’s energy and spirit continued to shine through.  As our President he was an inspiration to us all at NMVC and he leaves a hole which will be incredibly difficult to fill.  Our thoughts and prayers of course go out to David’s wife, Mary, and their family.’

NMVC Musical Director, Stephen Bell, added ‘This is a mighty loss to Northamptonshire and to Northampton Male Voice Choir. David was one of life’s genuine and true Gentlemen and a generous supporter of the arts in and around Northamptonshire. David was always very encouraging to me, personally – for which I will always be grateful. He could find exactly the right words at the right time. I’ll miss his enthusiasm for Youth Brass 2000 and Northampton Male Voice Choir. My condolences to his wife Mary and to his children.’

Photograph: David Laing with his wife Mary