A choir of blind and partially sighted people that first got together at the start of the year in Edinburgh is now harmonising over the phone-line.
Launched by sight loss charity RNIB Scotland in January, its members continue to sing defiance to the coronavirus blues.
Hazel Kelly (76) from Corstorphine, has experienced two degenerative corneal eye conditions which significantly affected her sight.
“I haven’t sung in a choir since I was a teenager in my church choir,” she said, “but I really fancied getting involved in some way and when I heard about this one I thought I would give it a go!
“It was originally held at the RNIB Scotland offices at Hillside Crescent in Edinburgh every second Tuesday with just four of us and a piano to start with. The numbers attending gradually increased and we all suggested a song we could potentially work on, which has included ‘Will ye go Lassie Go (The Wild Mountain Thyme)’, ‘Wind in the Willows’ and ‘Mull of Kintyre’.
“Of course, everybody has to memorise the words as, having sight loss, we can’t always read them, which is fine for the chorus but not so easy with a lot of verses! Our organiser Mike makes us work hard, including special singing warm-ups, and we had started to harmonise a bit, although this is more difficult now we’re all at home.
“We tried to all get together with Zoom while not particularly ideal , Mike is still working on the best solution for us. However, the good news is, that with the lockdown, more people have joined from other parts of Scotland, and I am now chatting and singing with a lady from Glasgow and another from Stirling among others.
“I don’t think we are quite ready to perform anywhere yet, but never say never is my motto! And it is good fun to find yourself at home singing the songs in the bathroom and while pottering around the house.”
The choir’s organiser Mike Holroyd, a community co-ordinator with RNIB Scotland, is a guide-dog user himself.
“I used to lead a choir of blind and partially sighted people for about 17 years when I lived in Bristol,” said Mike. “One or two people had been asking about starting a connect singing group in Scotland so we did.
“We started face-to-face in January, but when lockdown started folk were keen to continue – and in fact instead of every two weeks, we now get together every week.
“The emphasis at the moment is not so much on the sound we produce but on the learning and the fun of getting together. I’ve started encouraging people to sing solo verses – this helps to reinforce learning, but also works much better on the phone, and assists with building confidence.”
The RNIB Helpline is available to help blind and partially sighted people and their families and carers on 0303 123 9999.
