Choir for Adults with Neurological Conditions Celebrates Tenth Birthday
Giving Voice, the community choir for adults with neurological conditions and their family/carers, is celebrating its tenth birthday.
The choir was set up to help patients with dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, stroke, and a range of other conditions which affect an individual’s speech, memory and confidence, by Wendy Neill, a Speech and Language Therapist with Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
She and music teacher, Sally Blyth lead the group who sing out every week and perform well known songs ranging from ‘I’m a believer’ to ‘These Boots are Made for Walking’ and everything in between!
Wendy said: “I am so proud that Giving Voice is here ten years later, what started as a six-month pilot project to still be going despite challenges such as, COVID is fantastic. The members report many benefits from coming including, improved memory, breathing and vocal abilities, as well as improved confidence, social opportunities and making friends. What I did not realise when I started the choir is what I would get from it; but the members are truly inspirational, and I love it.”
Choir members have previously praised the choir, “My confidence has improved, and it has given me the confidence to try other things” and “My voice has seems to be stronger and, although it won’t cure, I think it is making it last longer.”
The choir’s tenth birthday will be marked with a concert at Mill Hill Chapel in Leeds City Square on Wednesday, June 26. There are no bookable tickets for this event, just turn up on the night and pay whatever you can on the door. The Chapel capacity is 100 seats which will be allocated on a first come, first seated basis. Doors open at 6.20 with the performance due to begin at 6.30pm.
The Choir meets every Wednesday from 6.30-8.00pm in Mill Hill Chapel, Leeds City Square to rehearse. “It’s more about taking part than being a great singer and people should just come along and get the benefits from singing in a group,” said Wendy.
The choir is funded by the Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust Charity. It has previously been recognised as an area of outstanding practice by the Care Quality Commission. In 2023, Giving Voice Choir won a Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist Giving Voice award for an online collaboration with two other choirs across the country with the song ‘one world of communication’.
