A vicar was “bursting with pride” as she heard the South Oxhey Community Choir sing during a service held in her honour at St Albans Cathedral.

Reverend Pam Wise, from All Saints Church in Gosforth Lane, was a founding member of the choir who first wrote to the BBC to ask them to bring choirmaster Gareth Malone to the town.

She has now been named as a member of the College of Canons of St Albans Cathedral for her work in South Oxhey, the diocese of St Albans and with Ascend, a charity that deals with social deprivation issues.

And during the ceremony on Saturday, the choir sang for her and four other vicars who were appointed as Canons.

They included Rev Gavin Collins, from Christ Church in Chorleywood.

Rev Wise said: “It's the recognition of work I have done for the church and in the diocese of St Albans. It's a great honour. I was very shocked but also very excited to be given such an honour.”

Canons are only appointed when an existing canon moves, retires or dies, opening up some of a limited number of stalls at the cathedral.

Rev Wise was among five new Canons appointed during the service of choral evensong led by the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Alan Smith and the Dean of St Albans Cathedral, the Very Rev Dr Jeffrey John.

Rev Wise said: “The place was full with people from our parish, friends and family and there was about 80 people from South Oxhey – people from the church and a good number from the South Oxhey Community Choir plus Gareth Malone, and they sang.

“They started with Mozart's Ave Verum. They sang it beautifully. They were wonderful. I was bursting with pride when I saw them. I was so proud to be part of such a wonderful choir. It was the first time I had watched them so I was so proud to be part of that.”

Rev Wise was given a stall in the cathedral named after Archbishop Robert Runcie, a former Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of St Albans.

She said: “Why I'm so pleased to have his stall is because when Archbishop of Canterbury, he was responsible for a report called Faith in the City, which stirred up a lot of political unrest. It was about deprivation around communities in the UK and it's had a lasting effect.

“He's one of my heroes because of that so I was delighted to be given a stall named after him.”

After writing a letter to the BBC, telling them her belief that a choir would be a great addition in South Oxhey, she said she “never anticipated just what a positive experience it would be” for the community.

She said: “Many people had so little pride in themselves and they had an undeserved bad reputation.

“I thought given the right opportunity they could achieve as much as everyone else and Gareth Malone coming here would allow them to show the world what they could do.

“When they sang at the cathedral, people were amazed at how beautiful they sounded and how good they were.”

The choir is now preparing for a major concert to be held at Watford Colosseum in December. They have also been asked to sing at Vicarage Road Stadium ahead of a future Saracens rugby match.