25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Roch sub postmaster and choir in Britain's Got Talent finals
Former Roch sub postmaster, Tim Brentnall, is part of the Hear Our Voice Choir, a group of singers whose lives have all been directly affected by the Horizon scandal.
Tim Brentnall was one of 736 sub postmasters caught up in the IT scandal and was wrongfully convicted as a result of faults in accounting software developed by Fujitsu for Horizon.
(Image: ITV/ Britain's Got Talent) A group of those sub post-masters came together to form the Hear Our Voice Choir.
'We only meet up when we were going through some terrible times,' said Tim. 'And we wanted to put something together that gave us some joy.
'The choir started as a support group, we wanted something joyful to do together.
'We just want to get out there and perform and show people how much strength we get from each other.
The choir's performance both in their initial audition and the semi finals, both introduced by Tim, certainly gave both the audience and the judges joy, as well as the choir members who delivered a powerful and emotional performance on both occasions.
(Image: ITV/ Britain's Got Talent)
'what a journey you've been on and a journey you are still on,' said judge Alesha Dixon. 'But tonight, I felt so joyful listening to that chorus, it was so beautiful.
'Music is so healing. Coming together in unity is so healing I'm thrilled that you've got each other and I'm thrilled that you have had a stellar night."
All judges criticised the injustice that the choir members had suffered and called for speedy resolution.
The public voted in their favour and last Sunday's semi-final public vote saw Tim and the choir voted through to this weekend's finals.
Tim was prosecuted in 2010 after a shortfall was discovered at his branch.
Originally, he was told he would be convicted for theft when the Horizon system showed £22,500 missing from the Post Office counter at Roch Gate Stores, owned and managed by Tim's family.
He was one of 12 former sub-postmasters who saw their convictions quashed at the Court of Appeal on Monday, July 19 2021.
'It's had a huge toll,' Tim told Britain's got Talent. 'It's a constant fight. We lost our businesses, homes, relationships. Some people went to prison. All over an IT system that didn't work.'
He added that the Britain's Got Talent experience had been affirming for the choir members.
'It's so joyful for us,' he said. 'We love doing this together. Thank you to the judges, to Britain's Got Talent for all the support we have had from everybody. We really feel it and it means so much to us.'
Tim and Hear Our Voice will go up against acts including Blackouts, Olly Pearson, Jasmine Rice and Joseph Charm, Vinnie McKee, Stacey Leadbeatter, Ping Pong Pang on ITV at 7pm on Saturday, May 31.
Good luck Tim, Pembrokeshire is rooting for you.
