A virtual orchestra comprising of Pembrokeshire professional musicians and music teachers is set to record a brand-new piece of music written by Haverfordwest composer Lisa Shelmerdine Richards.

Lisa is Haverfordwest High's expressive arts teacher and a local composer. She has written an original track Win this Fight Alone, composed especially for The West End of Wales Orchestra [WeoW] to record.

The track will be sung by Welsh musical theatre singer, Celyn Cartwright, and rising Welsh theatre talent Oliver John, accompanied by WeoW, and released on February 14.

"The tracks they have released online have been amazing and I am just so lucky that they want to do one of my pieces," said a delighted Lisa.

"They have started recording the song and it is so exciting, sounds amazing - I am so lucky to be having this experience."

The West End of Wales Orchestra is a community interest company set up by Laura Llewellyn Jones and Iestyn Griffiths, both from Pembrokeshire.

The online orchestra was created due to the devastating and immediate impact the Covid-19 pandemic enforced on the lives of musicians and artists across the globe.

"On March 16 2020, musicians were made redundant overnight and all of our diaries were instantly cleared of any forthcoming gigs and work," said Laura.

"WeoW was initially formed as a way of alleviating some of the mental health issues associated with having your lifelong passion taken away from you.

"I wanted to create a performance platform which would allow players to continue to perform at the very highest level and to keep entertaining the public at a time when people needed music in their lives more than ever before.

"Our Welsh orchestra will record and produce a new piece of music, composed by a Welsh composer and sang by the exceedingly talented Welsh singers, Celyn and Oliver."

The company has since diversified and has worked with various charities, educational institutions and arts establishments across the UK. High profile collaborations with artists such as The Welsh of the West End Singers has resulted in WeoW establishing a dedicated online following.

This latest project. It has been funded by Valero Refinery Ltd.

"The WeoW's mission is to support all musicians throughout Wales and this project has a truly all-encompassing feel to it," said Laura.

"We are so grateful for the financial support from Valero which has allowed all of our musicians to be paid for this project"

Win this Fight Alone will be released on February 14 and will feature on all of the WeoW's social media platforms and be released as a single.