THE news that Shaun Ward, the 28-year-old director of music at Holy Trinity, Hereford, is shortly to make the move to St Laurence's Church, Ludlow, is a blow for the thriving city parish.

In under five years, he has enhanced an environment at the Whitecross church which needs to be replicated elsewhere.

Shaun leaves as his legacy a burgeoning choir of 30, which includes a dozen children.

Three of his prodigies have gone on to pursue a musical education at Hereford Cathedral, while others have gone on to university. What he has succeeded in creating is an environment which is deemed cool' enough to encourage teenagers back into the choir stalls.

A more recent development has been the creation of a Friday evening singing group for four to seven-year-olds, led by Alison Houlbrooke, which will act as a feeder for the choir.

"There's a huge sense of family and a real sense of community which evolves from these singing sessions," Shaun said. "The building becomes alive with parents coming and going, and the little kids looking up to the older ones."

Around 30 people applied for the Ludlow post and the two-day interview process was overseen by a panel of seven. One of Britain's 20 Greater Parishes Churches Group, St Laurence's proved a cherry too ripe to refuse when he was offered the job of director of music.

"It's a great challenge," said Shaun. "The church currently has about 10 junior singers who sing once a month but the nearby primary school has a strong musical tradition."

St Laurence's boasts a newly restored 1764 Snetzler organ, which will be officially inaugurated by the renowned Birmingham City organist Thomas Trotter on April 22.

Unfortunately, Shaun is forced to leave behind his own 1911 organ, which is built into the hall of his Eaton Bishop home.