All Woman choir diverted to football match after police escort mix-up
A choir from Staffordshire on their way to a concert in two coaches was "hijacked" by police after being mistaken for football fans and given an official motorcycle escort – to League Two club Port Vale's ground.
The ladies, part of the 250-strong All Woman choir, were travelling from Stafford to Stoke on Saturday when they were unexpectedly diverted.
Police apologised for the mix-up which meant the singers were late for their pre-concert rehearsal but the sell-out show at Stoke's Kings Hall went ahead as scheduled.
Their ordeal began at lunchtime as the coaches, carrying almost 100 women from Stafford, reached the traffic island near Trentham Gardens on the Stone Road.
The convoy had just passed the entrance to the Monkey Forest when a police motorcyclist who had been waiting at the roundabout moved off in front of them.
Carol Mitchell, a 68-year-old grandmother from Brocton, said: "I was in the second coach and got a phone call from the one in front saying that we'd been told we'd got to follow the police. Then another police motorcyclist pulled in behind us.
"We thought perhaps something had happened in Stoke and that we'd better do as we were told." But when the ladies were ushered though the entrance to Vale Park, they knew something was amiss.
"The first police officer climbed on the coach, took one look at us and said 'You're not football fans'. His face was a picture.
"Some of us were wearing our pink All Woman T-shirts. His face was fairly pink at that point. It was sheer fun and really set us up for the day."
The choir, which rehearses at John Wheeldon Primary School in Corporation Street, was launched a year ago.
It was so popular that in January a second branch was started in Stoke. The two choirs were singing together on Saturday.
Staffordshire Police spokesman Peter Bate said the confusion was due to a misunderstanding.
"Thankfully, the matter was taken in good faith, and the coach only suffered a slight delay," he added.
