A community choir has raised £1,013.70 for St Joseph’s Hospice through their winter concert which took place on 8 December.
Hannah Brine, founder and musical director of the Victoria Park Singers, said: “Choirs have been hit very hard by the pandemic, so for us, this is a huge celebration; to be able to come together again and share our efforts with an appreciative audience… a lot of people have really missed the interaction and social elements of being part of a choir.”
The charitable cause is particularly important for choir member Tom Risdale, who works at St Joseph’s. He said: “Working in a hospice is not easy but providing compassionate care to people at the most difficult time of life is for me rewarding, uplifting and satisfying. Singing helps me to relax and recover from the stresses of my working life.”
“As an essential key worker, the loss of this ‘therapy’ over the past 18 months has been very difficult, but we are now back together again and looking forward to supporting St Joseph’s Hospice,” he added.
The concert, which was held at St John of Jerusalem Church, was the first large-scale concert in 18 months for the 100-strong choir. Members rehearse on Wednesday evenings at Lauriston School in Hackney.
The choir’s repertoire included well known Christmas pieces as well as contemporary arrangements. Tickets were limited to family members, due to growing concern about the Omicron variant. Collection boxes were also used to collect donations. Since forming in 2013, the choir has raised more than £15,500 for charitable causes.
