The National Lottery spoke with Jean Lacey, the Chairperson of High Hopes Choir in Waterford, about its open-door policy and its collaborations with well-known musicians.
High Hopes Choir; tell me more?
High Hopes Choir is a community group originally formed of people directly affected by homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction and mental health problems, and the staff and volunteers from the organisations that work with them. Those groups, at the time, included McGwire House men’s hostel, Focus Ireland, Simon Community, Tintean Housing Association and Oasis women’s refuge.
The Waterford High Hopes Choir is active, then?
Oh yes, for sure. We host weekly singing sessions at St Patrick’s Gateway in Waterford city.
Is it only open to people who have experienced homelessness?
Not at all. The Waterford choir operates an open-door policy, no-one is excluded – so much so that it’s standard practice that all new arrivals to the sessions receive a hug. While there are male and female members of the choir who have experienced homelessness in the past, the make-up of today’s choir is more diverse. Indeed, the current choir contains singers who have joined from a cancer survivor’s group.
So… it’s just singing then?
It’s much more than that. Our choir is an outlet for members to forge connections and support one another. The first half an hour of every rehearsal session is reserved for members to socialise with cups of tea and coffee. It’s about building friendships for some, escapism for others, but mostly it’s about celebrating the joy of music.
How have players of the National Lottery made a difference to High Hopes Choir?
In November 2021, we released a single to raise funds for Focus Ireland, the homeless charity. Part-funding from the National Lottery made it possible for the choir to travel to the studio in Co. Tipperary where they recorded the song, Shine Your Light, which was written by a local Waterford musician.
That’s great!
But that’s not all. Good Causes Funding has also made it possible for the choir to improve the audience experience of its live performances. After receiving €10,000 following our win at the national finals of the National Lottery Good Causes Awards, we invested in our own PA system. This was a huge boost for us.
Do High Hopes Choir perform live?
We regularly perform live and have played some iconic venues, including Áras an Uachtaráin, the European Parliament in Brussels, music festivals like Electric Picnic and Altogether Now, and even Croke Park for the visit of Pope Francis in 2018. However, most of the choir’s performances are local – in nursing homes, secondary schools, and psychiatric units in Waterford city and the surrounding areas.
They sound like they do a lot of good…
They do! While one of the aims of High Hopes is to raise awareness of homelessness, the concerts are moving experiences for those in the audience. They can also be a cathartic experience for individual members who occasionally take centre stage to share their stories with audiences. With the new PA system, National Lottery players have made it possible for their stories to be heard.
