Jill - choir manager (London)

I'm thrilled to have started as London Choir Manager for CWNN in July 2021. I previously worked for St Mungo's for 7 years as Involvement & Inclusion Coordinator and Outside In Deputy Manager. In these roles I had the opportunity to work with people on improving how homelessness services are run according to lived experience and in creating space for people's voices to be heard in places of power, from co-producing festivals and open mic nights to parliamentary groups and campaigns.

Alongside I have worked in the arts in London for 12 years; performing and directing theatre and specialising in musical theatre. Singing has always been a part of my life and feels even better when it's a group effort with a shared aim!

I have followed the choir for many years, and can't help but shed a tear of joy every time they perform, as the effort and passion is evident in each person and felt by everyone in the audience. It's wonderful being able to meet up every week, sing together and to share the fun we have with others in workshops and at gigs this year.

Other things I love and get up to each week are getting outdoors in nature and teaching yoga in different spaces across London/online inc Solace Women's Aid. I believe in promoting kindness and understanding, sharing in the joy of creativity and learning from each other to create change for the kind of world we'd like to live in. The choir is one way of elevating the voices of those less heard in society and it's also a place where people build meaningful relationships and ways to live more fully. It feels very special to be a part of it.