Choir's £10k fundraiser bid for Samaritans

Elliot Deady - BBC News, Essex
·2-min read
Back view of male guitarist wearing black and facing 1,200 singers, Westcliff-on-Sea
The choir is raising funds for the Samaritans, a charity which offers listening and support to people in times of need [Phil Maher]

Hundreds of singers are hoping to get people talking about their mental health, as well as raise £10,000 for charity, with the release of a new single.

The cover of Carole King's You’ve Got a Friend, featuring the voices of 1,200 singers, was recorded by the Busketeers Choir in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.

It is a fundraiser for suicide-prevention charity Samaritans and has been timed to mark Men's Mental Health Week.

Choir founder Andrew Small, from Colchester, said he was inspired after seeing the devastating impact of suicide.

Andrew Small in a black polo shirt strumming a guitar and singing
Choir founder Andrew Small says he hopes men in particular will reach out for the help they need after watching the single's video [Phil Maher]

"My family, my friends, my choirs, everyone has been affected by it in some way," the 36-year-old said.

"It's a massive problem that we don't really want to talk about, particularly men.

"I'm trying to create a safe space where we can at least talk about it and get help for people that need it."

The choir was founded in 2020 with the aim of raising £1m for charity.

It now has 1,500 members across 27 groups and has so far raised more than £154,000 for several charities.

Photograph of a choir
About 1,200 singers took part in the recording [Phil Maher]

The single and accompanying video was recorded at Cliffs Pavilion in March with singers from Essex, Hertfordshire, Dorset, East Sussex, West Sussex, Suffolk, and Hampshire.

Mr Small said: "We hope that our video will reach people struggling with their mental health and that they can get in touch with Samaritans if they don’t feel like they have a friend to turn to."

The charity is dedicated to reducing feelings of isolation and disconnection that can lead to suicide.

It offers listening and support to people in times of need, day or night.

"We will do whatever it takes to get to our £1m target," Mr Small added.

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