As Pamela White, winner of the inaugural Elgar in Hereford Music Award, prepares for the Britten Singers' concert on January 31 she reflects on the 40 years since she founded the chamber choir.

"I feel very proud that people have had confidence in me to keep on singing with me," she says. "They keep going, keep supporting, keep singing. I throw challenges at them and they do it. I'm very pleased about that and I'm delighted that I have kept going for 40 years.

"When we came here the children, Matthew and Nicola, were small and we were living in Britten Close when I started the Britten Singers - they're actually named after where we were living, not after the composer, which is what a lot of people think. Matthew says he still remembers hearing singing from downstairs when he was little, and that's the sound I grew up with, too. My father was very musical and there was always singing in the house.

"I envisaged it as a small chamber choir to try and sing for other people and raise money for charity."

In the 40 years the Britten Singers have been giving concerts, they've raised thousands for charity, with one of the major beneficiaries being St Michael's Hospice. "But we've sung for a wide range for charities - it's probably easier to think of who we haven't raised money than who we have supported, who have also included Cancer Research, the NSPCC and MS Society.

"Generally people come to us to ask us to sing in support of their chosen charity, but when I am organising a concert for ourselves, we all discuss which charity we'd like to support."

Among the highlights of the past 40 years have been several tours abroad to France, Norway and the Czech Republic, which came about because, in two cases, there were people in those countries who had sung with the Britten Singers and they'd fixed it up. We did an exchange tour in Norway, after I met the director of a choir from Norway.

In the past four decades, the choir has given 224 concerts - the anniversary concert on January 31 will be the 225th. Of the original members of the choir formed in Britten Close, only Pamela remains - today, as at any given moment in the group's history, there are 16 members, several of whom have been Britten Singers for "20-odd years", with around 20 to 25 past members, who are all invited to the concert next week as guests of the Britten Singers.

Pamela is also chairman of Hereford Choral Society and two years ago she was presented with a Diamond Day award by the Countess of Darnley in recognition of her contribution to Hereford’s musical life over the past 37 years.

As the 40th anniversary approaches, Pamela says she's looking forward to the 45th - "I'm full of energy and enthusiasm and there's lots of music to be explored."

Pamela has commissioned four new pieces for the Britten Singers in their 40 years, each of which will be sung at this month's concert. "We're hoping that we might get enough money in the future to commission something else."

Asked who her favourite composer is, Pamela's response is to say 'How many can I have?', but encouraged to keep it to a minimum she opts for Monteverdi and 16th century madrigals. "For the 20th century, it has to be Britten followed by Finzi," she says.

Following the concert at the Bishop's Palace, the audience will be invited to join the Britten Singers for a glass of celebratory fizz, and Pamela is hoping that audience will include as many former Britten Singers as possible. "If there is anyone in the area who hasn't already been invited, please get in touch," says Pamela.

Reflecting on how significant singing is in her life, Pamela says "Singing is something I have done since I was three, and we always had people singing at home.

I love the actual feeling of singing the music and the words are very important too. It just takes you out of your everyday life. I love everything about it. There's nothing I don't love about singing and playing the piano.

I think the feeling of being on another plane when you are singing and when you get words you particularly love.

"One of the Britten Singers says she always feels much better - she calls it her Friday therapy."

And that's what I feel - after a good rehearsal you feel on top of everything."