Wed, 09/06/2017
Neil Anderson got in touch with us here at Minirig to tell us about a charity singing group and we want to share the story with you! This is what he told us...
'The Norwich BreatheEasy Singing Group five years on'
Nurse Paula Browne founded 'BreatheEasy Norwich' charity group about 20 years ago. Five years ago she decided she would give up more of her time and start a singing group. The joy of singing has been talked about for a millennium, but now the actual physical and mental benefits are documented and medically proven.
We are not a choir and the ability to sing is by no means a requirement to join our group, the atmosphere is always lighthearted and jovial, the whole purpose of the group is to enjoy ourselves. Hopefully whilst enjoying ourselves we are also shaking up and loosening our lungs a little, going home feeling fitter and happier than before, 'it always seems to work for me'. The group has been such a success that the original once a month meeting has been increased to twice a month, we have also out grown are original 'Chapel Hall in Catton' and have had to move to a much larger venue 'Willow Centre in Cringleford'.
Nurse Paula originally prepared a singing book made up of about 40 songs from various artists covering all genre of music. Each session people get to pick songs of their choice and gradually over time we have worked out the songs which work and others that don't, even developing favourites that get chosen almost every week.
The equipment used has also changed since the early day of the group originally Paula used a ghetto blaster and a large selection of CDs. This was quite a chore to go through when selecting songs so the decision was made to go digital. An iPad mini was purchased so all songs could be downloaded and placed alphabetical in playlists, making song selection so much easier. A dock was coupled to the iPad. This worked fine but a minor issue was it needs plugging into the mains so dictates its position next to the iPad at the front of the room. Our Nurse Paula enjoys hearing us all sing so constantly reduces the volume which causes issues for people furthest away from the dock at the back
This is where the MINIRIG Bluetooth speakers actually come into their own not only is the sound quality superb but the portability of batteries mean they can be positioned centrally in the room given all group members the same level of volume, whilst allowing Paula to still make her selections remotely from the iPad
From the early days of the Breatheasy singing group the numbers have more than doubled we have 30 books of over 60 song lyrics to hand out and some regular members have made up their own books, even so on a busy singing session people sometimes have to share books. I'm no singer myself but I for one enjoy every second of the singing, the banta, and socialising with some amazing friends.
To find out more please visit the British Lung Foundation website: https://www.blf.org.uk/support-in-your-area/singing-group-in-norwich