Friday 23rd September 2022
St Mary’s Church in the Lace Market has been awarded funding from the Cathedral Music Trust, one of only six churches to succeed in this year’s call for applications. The funding has been awarded to boost the new ‘Sing Nottingham!’ programme at St Mary’s, which is thriving under the leadership of Lucy Haigh.
In May 2022, St Mary’s Church in the Lace Market set up ‘Sing Nottingham!’, an ambitious programme to enhance singing provision for children across Nottingham. ‘Sing Nottingham!’ offers free class singing teaching for primary schools, particularly in areas of social deprivation, and selected children are also invited to join one of three exciting new Children’s Choirs which will enrich the musical life and worship of St Mary’s Church.
Lucy Haigh is the Director of ‘Sing Nottingham!’. Lucy has already forged links with primary schools in some of Nottingham’s most deprived communities and set up three choirs at St Mary’s with a total of 45 members. The initial success of the programme has now been acknowledged through financial support from the Cathedral Music Trust, a charity which supports music in churches and cathedrals across England and Wales.
The Church Choir Award was launched earlier this year to recognise and develop excellence in music making by church choirs through funding imaginative new projects and activities. The Trust praised the “ambitious plans to establish three children’s choirs, and work with local schools to provide musical and vocal training in support of their curriculum.”
Lucy Haigh, Director of Children’s Music at St Mary’s, said ‘I am delighted that we have received this generous grant from the Cathedral Music Trust, which will enable even more children to experience the joys of choral singing’.
Rev. Tom Gillum, vicar of St Mary’s, said, “This funding will make a huge difference to the Children’s Choirs and the work St Mary’s does at the heart of the city of Nottingham, helping us reach out to and support communities across the whole city.”
The Children’s Choirs are preparing for their first public appearance at the Harvest Festival service at St Mary’s at 10.45am on Sunday 2nd October. Applications to join the choirs are open and expressions of interest from parents and schools are welcome. Lucy Haigh can be contacted at lhaigh@stmarynotts.org
A representative of The Cathedral Music Trust will present the award at St Mary’s Christingle Service on Sunday 11th December.
Cathedral Music Trust press release: https://www.cathedralmusictrust.org.uk//CMT/News/Articles/Cathedral-Music-Trust-and-RSCM-announce-six-Church-Choir-Award-Recipients.aspx