It's nearly time for our BBC Lifeline Appeal - it's going to be on BBC1 this Sunday (15th December) at 4.45pm.

The programme is presented by singer-songwriter and broadcaster Cerys Matthews (pictured here, attending one of our London choir rehearsals!).

If you can't watch it live, head on over to the BBC's website to watch it on iPlayer afterwards - and find out how you can donate to our Appeal. 

The Appeal will be accepting donations for a whole month. It's going to be repeated on BBC2 at noon on Thursday 19th December too. 

Our 9-minute film features two people who have been turning their lives around with the help of the Choir with No Name:

SHANE'S STORY

38 year old Shane from London became addicted to heroin in his late teens and eventually become homeless.

After years of substance abuse and sleeping rough, the pressure eventually became too much to bear. He said, “I got a point where I just thought ‘no, I can’t go on like this, I can’t deal with the pain’. I attempted to take my life. I didn’t want to be here anymore”.

But then Shane found community through joining a Choir With No Name - and thanks to the uplifting power of music, he has managed to turn his life around. He said, “If I hadn’t been with the Choir With No Name, I don’t think I’d be as confident as I am today without singing and nurturing music”.

Shane is now a singer-songwriter, recording his first album. 

SUZANNE'S STORY

After suffering sexual abuse as a teenager, Suzanne found it difficult to cope and turned to drink.

She said, “The bottle was my mate. Nobody else was my mate, but the bottle was my mate. And without the bottle, I didn’t exist”.  Eventually Suzanne become homeless and lived on the streets for three years.

A friend told Suzanne about the Choir With No Name, and having now attended for 5 months, she’s beginning to feel hopeful about the future. She said, “the more I think about going there, and concentrating and doing what I’ve got to do, the better I feel. So the best thing I ever did is join the choir”.

We're incredibly grateful to Shane and Suzanne for being willing to share their experiences. Thank you both very, very much.