TWO of the stars of the smash hit Military Wives Choirs — including a soloist — are from Bolton.

Becky Lyne and Michelle Alston, who are originally from Little Lever, have helped record the music for the Military Wives Choirs new album.

They were also at the launch of the Military Wives Foundation, alongside choirmaster Gareth Malone.

The Foundation has been set up to bring the women in military communities closer through singing. It provides guidance, funding and support for individual choirs.

Mrs Alston, aged 35, is a former Bolton School pupil who has two young daughters, and Mrs Lyne, aged 26, left Bolton when she was 16 to attend stage school.

The pair are part of the Dishforth Military Wives Choir, based in North Yorkshire.

Mrs Lyne is a freelance broadcast journalist with experience on national radio, television and newspapers, and she is also a member of York Stage Musicals. She is one of the soloists for the album’s title track Stronger Together.

She is expected to feature heavily in the album’s campaign in the run-up to Christmas and has already been on the Alan Titchmarsh Show on ITV.

The Stronger Together album is due to be released on November 5. It features the title track, which starts with two soloists from Dishforth Military Wives Choir along with 700 other military wives from 23 other choirs.

Mrs Alston, a university administrator, whose husband is on tour in Afghanistan, joined the choir in May.

She said: “It was an amazing day taking part in the video shoot. Not only did I get to sing with more than 600 other military wives and Gareth Malone but also became a world record holder for being part of the biggest music video shoot.

“With my husband deploying to Afghanistan, it was wonderful to take part in something so positive and to be surrounded by fantastic and supportive friends and wives.

“I can’t wait for the album to be released.”

The first Military Wives Choir, with Gareth Malone as choirmaster, was set up for the fourth series of the The Choir.

As well as releasing a single and an album, which raised money for military charities, the choir has also been involved in Gary Barlow’s Diamond Jubilee single, Sing, and performed at the opening of the Olympic Stadium in May.

There are now 50 military choirs in the early stages of set-up or at a planning stage.