WHAT A FANTASTIC year SingMe Merseyside had in 2016. From humble beginnings just 2 years earlier, there are now over 250 SingMe members attending 8 different weekly classes across Merseyside and Cheshire. Add in 2 weekly SingMe Coffee Clubs in conjunction with Starbucks plus 118 performances and even a charity quiz night thrown into the mix and it all adds up to one of the most exciting, memorable and fun years that members and leaders have enjoyed for a long time!
JANUARY 2016
SingMe Merseyside out of uniform and celebrating at the 2016 Christmas party held in the fabulous Chung Ku Restaurant on Liverpool Waterfront
SingMe Founder & Musical Director, Billy Hui, having some fun with the audience at St George's Hall for The Lord Mayor of Liverpool's festive charity concert
FEBRUARY 2016
MARCH 2016
APRIL 2016
MAY 2016
JUNE 2016
SING ME SING ME! NOW I GOT A SONG TO BE SUNG...
Performing at Claire House Children's Hospice
Celebrating SingMe Merseyside's receipt of the 2016 Arts Ambassador Award. Photo courtesy of The Wirral Globe.
JULY 2016
AUGUST 2016
SEPTEMBER 2016
OCTOBER 2016
NOVEMBER 2016
DECEMBER 2016
There was definitely no rest for the wicked especially on the festive run-up to Christmas with no less than 44 performances beginning with our appearance over 2 days at the Wirral Bazaar event at Thornton Manor which raised £34,000 for North West Cancer Research. There was even one occasion when SingMe Merseyside had 3 performances in one day!
Also, we were definitely working full steam ahead for one day at Arrowe Park Hospital when SingMe singers accompanied by SingMe Founder & Musical Director, Billy Hui with his keyboard on a hospital trolley, visited 6 wards plus the hospital staff lunch and a public performance at the hospital entrance! SingMe Merseyside were also overjoyed to return to St George's Hall to perform at The
But the fun all started last January with a lovely performance at Bishop's Court nursing home followed closely by a charity concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall for the city's oldest charity, The League of Welldoers. The start of the year also saw our first performance for Wirral Met College at their annual charity race night. February 2016 played host to the Chinese New Year of The Monkey celebrations and gave SingMe Merseyside the chance to premiere the Chinese New Year Song performed in Cantonese at several high profile events - native Chinese speakers were very impressed!
As the seasons changed and the weather became warmer for Spring, SingMe Merseyside could once again soak up some sunshine and enjoy some fresh air at our outdoor
The summer saw SingMe Merseyside at further outdoor events including opening the main stage of The Liverpool Loves Festival, 2 appearances at the Liverpool Pride Festival, The Little Sutton Summer Fair, The Wallasey Central Park 125th Anniversary and our welcome return to entertain the crowds at the Egremont Wirral Waterfront Festival.
As we moved through the summer months, SingMe Merseyside continued its rewarding work raising money and awareness for local charities. A highlight was our appearance at the Azure Collection Charity Ball in the opulent Grosvenor Hotel Chester which raised over £45,000 for 4 separate local cancer charities in just one night.
The autumn months were welcomed in with our annual SingMe Merseyside Variety Show, this year, supporting The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. The show featured an eclectic mix of performers and artistes who delivered exceptional performances to the delight of the audience at The Floral Pavillion Theatre, New Brighton. See the full SingMe Merseyside write-up about this event plus pictures and a link to the full newspaper review in our archive section. SingMe Merseyside were also invited to deliver a monthly project for the Chinese Wellbeing Charity to teach singing to their beneficiaries as part of their focus on the health and wellbeing of the local Chinese community. And that neatly takes us full circle back to the launch of the SingMe Merseyside festive season.
SingMe Merseyside are very proud to have received the Wirral Globe Ambassadors Award as recognition for our work as leaders in the field of arts and music locally. SingMe Merseyside Founder & Musical Director, Billy Hui and SingMe Merseyside Choir Manager & Administrator, Wendy Williamson, were both honoured to receive this award at a small ceremony at the Wirral Globe offices on 1st December 2016 where we also had the chance to perform a selection of songs for staff and other award winners.
Finally, a massive thank you from Billy Hui and Wendy Williamson to each and every member of SingMe Merseyside for your tireless dedication and enthusiasm in classes and performances. We would like to extend our greatest appreciation for your performance skills in engaging our various audiences and helping SingMe Merseyside on our journey and mission to bring singing and music to the masses whilst doing our utmost to raise money and awareness for our hard-working local charities plus have a little fun on the way too! Thank you. Now, take a deep breath, and look at the full list below of where we have appeared in 2016!...
Legends of Swing Festive Concert and for The Lord Mayor of Liverpool's Christmas Charity Concert sponsored by Smooth Radio where we had the pleasure of accompanying the wonderful Sedaka-esque Steve Macfarlane and spine-tingling mezzo-soprano Danielle Louise Thomas.
SingMe Merseyside also enjoyed a return appearance at the BBC Carol Concert in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. This high profile event which was recorded and broadcast on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day featured our fabulous rendition of Carol Of The Bells as part of our selection of Christmas songs and carols. The SingMe festive season concluded with an appearance at Cheshire Oaks
Designer Outlet on 23rd December for Claire House Children's Hospice. Storm Barbara blew in and curtailed our second performance but we still managed to raise some money and awareness for this fantastic charity. We visited this charity again at their headquarters in between Christmas and New Year to entertain the children and staff. It was fabulous and thoroughly enjoyed by both Claire House and the SingMe Choir alike.
SingMe Merseyside gets warmed up for the BBC Carol Concert performance
March saw us raising more money and awareness for our nominated charities plus giving in-kind support through performances for many local nursing homes and charitable organisations including Christ The King Church for their 25th Anniversary. SingMe Merseyside always enjoys singing on home turf so when the opportunity arises to perform where classes are usually delivered, we leap at the chance. One such occasion was a great performance at Easter for Local Solutions in
We were honoured in May, to perform a brand new medley that was specially commissioned for our appearance at the BBC's 75th commemoration of the WW2 May Blitz "An Unconquered People" at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. 160 SingMe Choir members performed our very own Liverpool Songs Medley to finish the show which featured BBC Radio Merseyside presenters alongside actors including Craig Charles, Leanne Best and Eileen O'Brien. Ultimately, the quality of the show shone through and went on to win a national radio academy award for drama.
Liverpool where both staff and carers sang along to some lively material performed by their very own SingMe Local Solution singers.
performances. These included a fantastic performance at the National Gardens Scheme Open Garden fundraiser for Wirral Hospice St John's in a rather nice suburban Heswall garden plus the now infamous Hawthorns Residential Care Complex barbecue where not only do we enjoy the fabulous food but SingMe choir members are very, very lucky when it comes to winning prizes in the raffle! One, unnamed, SingMe Chester member won 6 prizes and then followed it up by winning a laptop computer at another event just a week later!
BBC commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the May Blitz at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
We also returned to perform several times for The Tickle The Ivories Piano Festival in Liverpool One, but this time with a twist. We decided to stage a flash mob on a busy Saturday to raise money for Wirral Citizens Advice Bureau. It rained. But that did not stop SingMe Merseyside singers from performing our Motown Era Medley especially after such a well planned-out way of tricking shoppers was devised.
In his ultimate wisdom, SingMe Merseyside Founder & Musical Director, Billy Hui, truly hammed it up by deciding to play a Chinese tourist as part of the set up - ruck sack, big camera 'n' all. The crowd was well and truly fooled as 2 young gentlemen even offered to teach him how to play piano as Billy did his best "Les Dawson" on the upright piano placed strategically in the centre of the Liverpool One shopping complex.
SingMe Merseyside flashmob in Liverpool One with over 100 choir members entertaining shoppers
We were invited to perform for the Royal Voluntary Service in The Linda McCartney Centre based at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital to help raise funds. Also connected to the hospital is their own charity, R Charity. We
One of the city's most famous exports are, of course, The Beatles. So it was fabulous for SingMe Merseyside to perform as part of the premiere of Beatles film "Eight Days A Week". It was made extra special because we performed a collection of Beatles favourites alongside the award-winning Liverpool Signing Choir. Wonderful.
had the pleasure of performing for them at their city centre takeover event on Williamson Square in Liverpool.
Greeting guests with our mix of songs and medleys at the Azure Collection Charity Ball
Another highlight was working with exceptional soloists for The Sounds Of The Musicals show at The Little Theatre Birkenhead and The Brindley Runcorn. SingMe Founder & Musical Director, Billy Hui, provided full live accompaniment for the production with a team of specially selected musicians. The SingMe choir especially enjoyed singing Bui Doi from Miss Saigon at this very well received show.
SingMe singers posing for one last photo before opening the Liverpool Loves Festival main stage
The next step was introducing the soprano section of the choir to start off the medley with "Baby Love". SingMe Choir Manager and Administrator, Wendy Williamson thought it would be entertaining if this section was dressed up and acted like a raucous hen night harassing the unfortunate Chinese tourist trying to play the piano. She was correct and despite the rain, the singing got started and over 100 SingMe singers gradually gathered around the piano to the joy and amazement of a very large crowd of onlookers. There may be a repeat performance in 2017...
Launching Beatles film "Eight Days A Week" alongside the fabulous Liverpool Signing Choir
SingMe Merseyside taking a musical trip to the West End with The Sounds of The Musicals Show
11. Bellefield nursing home
12. Cressington care home performance
13. Regain Care at Wirral Christian Centre performance
14. 25th Anniversary Concert for Christ the King Church, Birkenhead
15. Local Solutions Carers Centre Easter Party
16. Ainsley Nursing Home performance
17. Margaret Moses 60th Birthday party at New Brighton Cricket Club
4. Arrowe Park Hospital retirement event for Gill Galvani
5. Chinese New Year Concert at The Pagoda Community Centre
6. Appearance at The Chinese New Year VIP Variety Show at The Liner Hotel
7. Performance at St James Community Centre, Birkenhead
8. Chinese Wellbeing Fundraiser at the Tai Pan Restaurant, Liverpool
9. Chinese New Year performance with the Liverpool School of Cantonese Kung Fu at The Museum of Liverpool
10. Chinese New Year performance with the Liverpool School of Cantonese Kung Fu at Lady Lever Art Gallery
1. Bishop's Court care home
2. The League of Welldoers Charity Concert at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
3. Wirral Met College Charity Race Night performance
18. Arundel Park Nursing Home
19. Barbara Williams 70th Birthday Party at Vale Park Community Centre
20. Hollymere Care Complex Concert
21. Heswall Inner Wheel Concert
22. St George's Nursing Home
23. Greenways Court Care Complex
24. BBC 75th Commemoration of the May Blitz - "An Unconquered People" at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
25. Arrowe Park Hospital Health and Wellbeing Fair
26. Sounds of The Musicals Show at The Little Theatre, Birkenhead
27. Sounds of The Musicals Show at The Little Theatre, Birkenhead
28. NGS Open Garden fundraiser in Heswall for Wirral Hospice St John's
29. Christ The King Friendship Group 10th Anniversary Concert
30. Dementia Coffee Morning at Wallasey Central Library
31. Bishops Court Care Home
32. Hawthorns Residential Care Complex Barbecue fundraiser
33. Christopher Grange Nursing Home
34. Wallasey Village Festival at Sheridans
35. Liverpool Carers Week Launch ceremony at The Liverpool Playhouse
36. Blue Butterfly Charity Dinner at Wirral Met College
37. Royal Voluntary Service fundraiser at the Linda McCartney Centre, Royal Liverpool University Hospital
38. Hoole Church of England Primary School summer Concert
39. Wirral Met College Hair and Beauty Gala show "What A Wonderful World"
40. Wallasey Central Park 125th Anniversary Summer Gala
41. Wallasey Central Park 125th Anniversary Summer Gala
42. Little Sutton Community Centre Summer Festival
43. Performance for CMG Management
44. Wirral Met College FE Awards at The Floral Pavillion Theatre
45. Azure Collection Charity Fundraiser Ball at The Grosvenor Hotel
46. Tickle The Ivories Piano Festival at Liverpool One
47. Sutton Beeches Care Home performance
48. Regain Care at Wirral Christian Centre performance
49. Tickle The Ivories Piano Festival at Liverpool One
50. Upton Grange Nursing Home
51. Liverpool Pride Festival parade welcome on main stage
52. Liverpool Pride Festival performance on garden stage
53. Innaugral SingMe Charity Quiz Night at The Merebrook for SENSE
54. Liverpool Loves Festival opening of main stage
55. Liverpool Loves Festival performance on Culturebox Stage
56. Tickle The Ivories Piano Festival at Liverpool One
57. Egremont Promenade Festival
58. Malawi Water Fund Charity Concert at Christ Church, Port Sunlight
59. Liverpool One SingMe Flash Mob
60. Hawthorns Residential Care Complex Summer Barbecue
61. City Centre Takeover Event for R Charity in Williamson Square
62. Launch of new Beatles film "Eight Days A Week" performing with The Liverpool Signing Choir
63. SingMe Merseyside Variety Show
64. Charlotte House Care Home
65. Arundel Park Care Home
66. Barbara Mort's Macmillan Cancer Support Coffee Afternoon
67. Riversdale Nursing Home
68. Greenheys Lodge Care Home
69. Oakdene Care Home
70. Sounds Of The Musicals Show in The Brindley Theatre, Runcorn
71. Curzon House Care Home
72. Funeral of Philomena Foster at St Albans Church
73. Wedding vow renewal for Elaine and Alec at St Mary's Church, Liscard
74. Wirral Bazaar at Thornton Manor for North West Cancer Research
75. Wirral Bazaar at Thornton Manor for North West Cancer Research
76. Wirral Met College Prep 4 Life Shop opening at The Pyramids
77. Harlequin Ladies Club afternoon
78. Carr Farm Christmas Lights switch-on
79. Wirral Fund For Children concert
80. St James Church Christmas Fair
81. Wirral Holistic Cancer Service Christmas fair at Harrison Hall
82. Wallasey Village Christmas event
83. Claire House Children's Hospice
84. St George's Nursing Home
85. Wallasey Central Library
86. St Catherine's Hospital Christmas lights switch-on
87. Mariner's Park Care Home
88. Wirral Globe Arts Ambassador award presentation to SingMe Merseyside
89. Hawthorns Residential Care Complex
90. Ainsley Nursing Home
91. RNIB charity at The Pyramids
92. Light Up A Life event for Wirral Hospice St John's
93. Christopher Grange Nursing Home
94. Wirral Hospital Volunteers Lunch
95. Cedar Court Care Home
96. Higher Bebington United Reformed Church Christmas Concert
97. Brimstage Hall Courtyard Christmas event for Wirral Hospice St John's
98. BBC Carol Concert
99. King's Church Winter Wonderland
100. Maggies Cancer Support Christmas Concert at St Mary's Church, Liscard
101. Victoria Road Christmas Market
102. International Soroptomist Liverpool Club Christmas lunch
103. SingMe Charity Fundraiser at Starbucks New Brighton
104. Sutton Beeches Care Home
105. Curzon House Care Home
106. Regain Care Centre
107. St James Community Centre
108. Marie Curie Christmas Concert
109. Arundel Park Care Home
110. Lord Mayor of Liverpool's Charity Christmas Concert at St George's Hall
111. Claire House Children's Hospice
112. Arrowe Park Hospital staff Christmas Lunch
113. Arrowe Park Hospital reception
114. Arrowe Park Hospital ward rounds
115. Bishop's Court Care Home
116. Legends Of Swing Concert
117. Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet
118. Claire House Children's Hospice
