Community choir in tune for NHS
It’s something many new mums dream of - some muchneeded ‘me time’. Natalie Veal was inspired to set up a unique baby-friendly choir in Bristol to give them just that, and she has since helped dozens of mums in her community.
The former secondary school teacher launched the Melody Makers Choir two years ago, naming it after her first daughter. She says: “The choir is all about mums doing something for themselves. They are usually always looking to entertain their babies and young children. I just wanted to change the focus back on to the mum. It is important that my ladies are able to forget about nappies and bottles for an hour and focus instead on feeling energised and uplifted.”
She explains: “We all sit in a circle and place the babies in the middle while we sing uplifting pop songs. The babies look back at their mothers in wonder. Either that, or they start screaming and crying!”
The wider impact of the group is undeniable. Natalie, 38, says: “One of my mums told me that coming to the babyfriendly choir is the only thing she actually looks forward to all week. She has postnatal depression.”
EVENING CHOIR
She also runs an evening choir where men and women of all ages are welcome. At least 60 people join in.
“I had been doing the baby-friendly choir for a year and then felt ready to open up to the wider community,” says Natalie. “There is nothing more powerful than getting a community of people together to sing.”
She and her singers decided they wanted to give back and last month released a song to raise money for Southmead Hospital this Christmas. We Are The Same Inside, by the Melody Makers Choir and Horfield Primary School Choir for the NHS, was released on November 19.
The choir is being supported by TSB partners in the South West region.
Natalie adds: “Every member of the choir has a connection to the hospital, and we all have put a lot of love into this song.”