SFE’s Fundraising Manager, Sarah Caldwell, discusses the growth of our Community Choir across ExtraCare’s Solihull and Hagley Road Villages… 

Set up in November 2017, our Hagley Road Village Community Choir offers residents weekly, term-time, singing sessions where members come together to share their love of music and singing.  

Over the years the group, which prefer to call themselves a ‘Singing Group’ has grown in numbers, now welcoming around 25 members each week, with new members joining throughout the year.  

Their weekly singing sessions offer members the opportunity to sing together as well as giving soloists the chance to shine, with songs from different decades and genres being on their ‘set list’.  

As well as their weekly sessions, the group, led by Choir Director Helen and supported by keyboard accompanist Tahlia, also take part in some wider village events, including seasonal fairs and VE Day celebrations.  

On request, earlier this year some of the group went ‘on tour’ to Solihull’s Extracare Village to perform for their residents. Music filled the air in a wonderful session, with residents from both villages singing along to their favourite songs.  

As a result of the visit, Helen was asked about the possibility of running regular sessions at the Solihull Village, and since Easter has been visiting them every week to work with their own singing group, which already has around 15 regular attendees.  

Praise for the Community Choir:

Although singing-based, these sessions are about more than just the music.

As Kath, one of the Hagley Road Village singers says, ‘Group makes me feel part of a community – I don’t see some of the others from one week to the next, but we come together to enjoy the music each week’.

This feeling is clear for people to see, especially those who work with the residents regularly.  

Zane, the Village’s Activities Co-Ordinator says ‘the choir is a truly special group that brings joy, connection, and purpose to so many. For many, it provides a much-needed sense of purpose each week, as well as the excitement of preparing for performances that uplift both the singers and their audiences’.

For us, and for Helen who leads both singing groups, it’s wonderful to see how the power of music can bring joy and companionship to different generations.

Support Our Community Choir

Both groups are charitable projects and are fully funded through our fundraising efforts.

If you would like to know more about them, and how you could support them:

About the Author

Sarah Caldwell – Fundraising Manager, Services For Education

Sarah Caldwell joined Services For Education in Summer 2023, bringing with her over 14 years fundraising experience. Working in the Birmingham charity sector, she has raised valuable funds for a range of projects impacting the day to day lives of young people with disabilities.

Sarah has experience across a number of fundraising streams (including Trusts & Foundation, Events and Corporate Fundraising), and brings this, along with a strong interest in building relationships with supporters, to her role at SFE