On 21st January, five representatives of Portsmouth Climate Choir were invited to sing on QA Hospital’s radio station. Lots of fun was had but a serious message delivered. Activist and choir member Claire Reynolds reports.
The rain was unremitting that morning, so arriving at QA Hospital at all was an accomplishment. The drive was a bit chaotic as there was much discussion on which route to follow for the correct entrance, and – as there are several entrances to our great hospital – agreement wasn’t simple.
David, who had opted to drive, managed to do some amazing last-minute lane shifts whilst the rest of us made weird animal-like noises to warm our voices up, as instructed remotely over the phone by our ever-patient musical director, Ruth. The experience was remarkably like that of a Carry On film!
Which car park was the next issue and ‘is that actually a space over there?’ was said more than once. We weren’t even sure how to exit the car park on foot, but we put our heads together and managed to escape. Then it was back out into the deluge. We took a circuitous route to find the radio station – our lovely QA Hospital can be a maze!
Finally, we dropped our wet coats to the floor and there we stood in the white corridor to rehearse our songs. I felt a bit unnerved. Was some poor patient going to be wheeled past us on a stretcher wondering if we were real or part of some feverish delirium? As always, Ruth and Viola got to grips with the situation in hand and we were soon singing our hearts out. Some passers-by were clearly flummoxed as to why a bedraggled group had started to sing in the corridor. We had plenty of smiles, though, and one guy threw us a coin. Every little helps!
We had to make as big a sound as possible with only five of us; usually, we’re closer to fifteen. We’re not professional singers, just people who love to sing together with a powerful desire to spread a clear message: our beautiful earth is being abused by the systems we live under and some of our own individual practices. Climate change is destroying nature and we can reverse that.
Once inside the Radio Station, we were warmly welcomed by Tony, sporting a ‘Pets for Therapy’ T-shirt. His gorgeous cockapoo beamed at us and profusely wagged his own welcome. There were two large puffy microphones and lots of dials and switches. It was time to have fun. After introducing ourselves, we sang our first song ‘The Climate’s Changing’ – a catchy song with a blunt warning that time is running out. Our next song ‘Dirty Water’ focuses on the specific problem of pollution in our seas and rivers – very pertinent to our home here on the coast. Our last song ‘Fossil Fuels are Trouble’, a clever adaptation of a Taylor Swift song, bgot quite noisy! It’s a very empowering song of protest and cannot be executed without everyone feeling excited and inspired.
Viola, our passionate group leader, reminded us that ‘We have more power than we think.’ This is one of the great purposes of the Climate Choir: to encourage everyone – joyfully – to take part in a movement of ordinary individuals who can do extraordinary things together, whether that is locally with a few, or nationally with hundreds, singing as we did at Southsea Cinema during Green Film Week or flash mobbing (in a most aesthetic way) St Paul’s Cathedral.
Ruth, our musical director and mother of school-aged children, expressed her concern for future generations for whom the planet needs protecting. She described how we sing to spread awareness and how we each put pressure on our elective representatives in a positive way through musical protest and emails.
Ours is an inclusive group. You don’t have to be a great singer. We are caring and supportive of each other. In addition to our meeting on the first Monday of each month at The Kings Pub Albert Road, 7.30, we have socials with lovely food and lots of camaraderie. So why not join us and make a difference?
Photograph courtesy of Portsmouth Climate Choir.
