Choirs for Good raise over £14,000 for all-Wales charity

An all-Wales choir group have sung their hearts out to raise over £14,000 for the Wales Air Ambulance.

Choirs for Good picked the Wales Air ambulance as its Charity of the Year for 2023 after it received an ‘overwhelming’ majority of the chorister’s votes.

The not-for-profit social business is made up of 12 choirs, all of which are spread out across Wales. Over 450 members meet on a weekly basis with a vision to create a world where choirs are placed at the heart of local communities.

Izzy Rodrigues, Choirs for Good Co-founder, Director and Choir Leader of said: “As the year progressed it became more apparent that many of our singers had a personal reason or connection for voting for Wales Air Ambulance. As choir leaders, we started to hear of stories from our choristers about the support they had received from Wales Air Ambulance.

“Many of our choristers and choir leaders learned a lot about the Charity this year. Many of us didn’t realise the level of care that can be given from the Wales Air Ambulance, such as open surgery at the side of the road.

“We also learnt about the rapid response vehicles and the vital after care service provided by the team. Patients and their families who have been impacted by the service have probably been through something life changing or have lost loved ones, leaving behind a lot of trauma and grief to process. So, the pastoral support given by the Charity is perhaps a lesser-known service but just as important to those who need it.”

During the year, the choirs gave over 120 performances across Wales and the south west. 46 of those performances were raising money specifically for the lifesaving Charity. The fundraising included collections at shopping centres, ‘busking’ in the streets and sparkly concerts.

Choristers also held socials, raffles and one of its members, Veronica Patrick, even took up an individual year-long “Tryathlon” challenge – which saw her raise £1,300 for the cause.

This is the second year that the choir has chosen a Charity of The Year, the first year saw the choristers raise £6,500 for Blood Bikes Wales.

Reflecting on how much was raised this year for Charity, Izzy continued: “We are so proud of our choristers! We were hoping to improve on last year, but we didn’t expect to double it, let alone get to £14,000. It’s been a real sense of achievement and it’s wonderful being able to give back while doing something that you love.

“Our choirs support local community and charity events for various causes throughout the year, but having a Charity of the Year gives us all a common goal to work towards, and while we are spread out over the country it unites our family of choirs. Choirs For Good is about using the power of singing to help people ‘Feel Good’ but this comes in so many different forms and raising such a big amount really shows the power of communities coming together to do something good and meaningful.”

Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and, if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury. For the patient, this can mean hours saved when compared to standard care and is proven to greatly improve survival and early recovery.

It is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.

Laura Coyne, Wales Air Ambulance’s Community Fundraising Manager said: “Thank you very much to everyone at Choirs for Good, who worked hard throughout the year to raise an amazing amount for the Wales Air Ambulance. They held numerous concerts throughout Wales to support our publicly funded charity, which is incredible.

“Our lifesaving service needs to raise £11.2 million every year to keep our helicopters in the air and our rapid response vehicles on the road, this donation will help us to be there for the people of Wales when they need us most. Diolch yn fawr.”