Sunday Half Hour - 18/07/2010

On 14th July 1940, the very first edition of Sunday Half Hour was broadcast from St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol. It was described as a programme of "community hymn singing" and was intended to boost the morale of troops serving abroad during the Second World War. This week, Brian D'Arcy celebrates its 70th anniversary with a special programme of celebration recorded in the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. With music from massed choirs and a packed congregation, he introduces some of the listeners' favourite hymns and finds out precisely what it is that has made the programme so long-lived and so well-loved. Hymns include Great Is Thy Faithfulness, Love Divine and How Great Thou Art. The Musical Director is Andrew Earis and the organist is Martin Ford.