RISCA MALE CHOIR - THE PROJECT 2024 # 3
MESSAGES FROM OFFICIALS OF THE MND ASSOCIATION
Judith Rice: Vice Chairman South East Wales Branch Motor Neurone Disease Association
Richard Shackelford: MNDA Regional Fundraiser for the Devolved Nations & compere for the concert on May 18th, 2024.
MeN DoSing 24
My name is Judith Rice, and I joined the MND Association back in the summer of 2017 and became their Campaign Contact for the S. E. Wales Branch of MNDA later in that year. The S.E. Wales Branch was founded over 25 years ago and some of those volunteers are still branch members today - that is indeed dedication to the cause.
What is motor neurone disease?
Motor Neurone disease {MND) is a fatal rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It attacks the nerves that control movement to muscles that refuse to work. It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe. A third of people with MND die within a year of diagnosis, and more than half within two years. 1 in 300 people will develop MND in their lifetime. There is no cure.
Early in 2024 the South East Wales Branch of MNDA became aware of a project that Risca MaIe Choir would be undertaking. Their suggestion was to get a group of approximately 50 men of all ages in their area without any singing experience to form a choir. This project should take 12 weeks from none of them able to sing to forming a full-blown choir and they were to be called MeN Do Sing 24.
The Mayor of Newport Cllr Trevor Watkins was extremely interested in attending their concert on the 18th May as this would be his final function as the Mayor of Newport City Council and his daughter as Mayoress. MNDA had been one of the charities that the Mayor had been involved in during his year.
On the last but one rehearsal (5th May) our Branch Chair and myself were invited to see t MeN Do Sing 24 practice. Wow! A magical Musical Director called Matthew Harrison was so full of enthusiasm and the men were outstanding, singing so professionally and everyone in tune.
The concert on l8th May was a combination of Risca Male Choir and MeN Do Sing 24. It was a great success and received a standing ovation and was for such a well-deserved cause. The Mayor's words were: "What an outstanding evening" Plus they had raised £16,000 by the end of the evening - an incredible amount of money. I attended the concert with a number of other Branch members, and we all thought that the concert was excellent, and we all hope that Risca Male Choir and MeN Do Sing 24 will go on to perform at further concerts during this year.
May I on behalf of S.E. Wales Branch thank you from the bottom of our hearts for deciding to raise monies for our branch which will help each and every person living with this horrific illness in our area
Judith Rice
The concert
An email sent to Tim Stone, Project Leader.
I wanted to record my gratitude to you (Tim) and all the gentlemen of the Choir and indeed those incredible new voices from MeNDoSing 24.
As an Association who relies almost entirely on the generosity and goodwill of the public for our funding, we are so grateful to you and all your family, friends and colleagues who have dug deep to produce such a wonderful fundraising total. The South East Wales Branch is over the moon, with this level of funding, they will be able to continue their work with people affected by MND, developing their caring network, through support groups, adaptation grants and all the new projects that will make the life of people living with MND a little easier.
Something else that struck me as so important, and that I will carry forward was your thoughtful structure of the evening, the mix of film and the spoken word, left no doubt as to what the event was about and the message that went out to the audience was hard-hitting and motivating – I felt that the audience was moved by this and left with a deeper understanding of the disease and our Association – alongside some lovely music and performances.
I can only begin to understand how much work you and your colleagues put in to see this project through, the results on Saturday night spoke for themselves though, the sound that was produced was truly wonderful and the smiles and evident enjoyment shone through.
To MeNDoSing 24 a huge thank you for taking the challenge, living outside your comfort zones, giving up a lot of free time, and working so hard to come together as a very cohesive choir – you were brilliant. Thanks to all of you who helped raise a significant amount of money for our work – we are so grateful and importantly people living with MND will benefit from your labours.
The atmosphere on Saturday was brilliant, I have spoken at many events, large and small, but never before have I felt such support and friendship from an audience – speaks volumes for your community.
I do hope that the project helps Risca Choir too, and that some of the ‘new blood’ sticks with you, your hard work and diligence deserves that bonus.
Finally, can I say how touched and grateful I am for the Choir to present me with a tie and wine gift. I will wear the tie with pride and it will remind me of a wonderful evening amongst some truly wonderful people.
I look forward to our continued partnership and will be in touch in due course with some suggested dates for a concert in September/October.Richard Shackelford
Diolch o galon to you Tim and to all of the gentlemen from Risca Male Choir and MeNDoSing 24.
Richard Shackelford
Photo:
Front row left to right
Richard Shackelford - Regional Fundraiser for the Devolved Nations
Ex Mayoress - Catherine Karlson (Daughter of ex Mayor)
Ex Mayor - Cllr Trevor Watkins
Judith Rice - Vice Chair MND SE Wales Branch
The 4 at the back are members/volunteers of the MNDA SE Wales Branch
