“£3,000 Raised for Charity as Harmony Belles Shine in ‘A Night to Remember’ Concert”

The evening was a great success, packed with powerful performances and feel-good favourites from musical theatre and film. From old musical hits such as ‘Good Morning’ and ‘Edelweiss’ to the powerful ‘Heart of Stone’ (from Six) to the well-known modern favourite, ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ the choir delighted the audience with their songs. One of the highlights for the choir was singing Ed Sheeran’s song ‘I See Fire’ from the soundtrack of the ‘The Hobbit’. Our Musical Director, Anne Fairbrother wrote a beautiful and stirring arrangement and the choir rose to the occasion, performing with gusto and wonderful harmonies.

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As our supporters will know, Harmony Belles is foremost about singing together for joy but running a very close second is performing in concerts and raising money for our chosen charities. This year we were supporting two incredible local charities, Manor Green School and Thames Hospice and were delighted to raise £3,000 on the night to be shared between the two charities. Read on to find out about the charities and how our funds have helped.

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Thames Hospice

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Thames Hospice offers palliative and end-of-life care, supporting patients and families with compassion and dignity. Serving the community for over 30 years, its services include a 29-bed inpatient unit, day therapy, physiotherapy, complementary therapies, and bereavement support. We visited the site in September enjoying the welcoming and airy atmosphere of the reception hub. A warm and beautiful place for patients, relatives and visitors alike.

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We were delighted to hear that the funds we raised at our concert would help the hospice’s medical, community, counselling and therapy teams continue to provide their compassionate care for the patients and their families. £1,500 could provide medication to all of the patients accessing the hospice’s Inpatient Services for a week.

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This ensures that patients feel peace and comfort during their stay. It now costs £20.5 million every year to keep Thames Hospice running and they rely on charitable support to fund their services 365 days a year to the people who need it the most.

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Manor Green School

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Manor Green School in Maidenhead, Berkshire, is a special school for students aged 2 to 19 with complex needs. It provides personalised education and therapy to help students thrive.

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When we visited the site in September to donate the cheque, we were warmly welcomed by the staff. The choir members visiting were struck with the calmness and happiness that resonated within the school. The school has an outdoor sensory garden and playground which opened a few years ago and we were delighted to learn that the £1,500 we raised from the concert was to be put towards a bubble machine in one part of the playground. The thought of children enjoying the experience of playing surrounded by large bubbles fills us with much joy.

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