Congratulations to The Keys to Life Choir!
On the evening of Tuesday 21st April 2020, many of us put on our glad rags and with refreshments in hand took our seats for the Charity Film Awards to support The Keys to Life Choir who had reached the final.
Usually the awards take place in London and the members of The Keys to Life Choir, their families and staff were looking forward a nice break in London however, due to the current circumstances we were all invited as the awards were streamed live into our living rooms!
In partnership with another local charity, Streets Ahead, we started The Keys to Life Choir in September 2018. The choir rehearses in the MacArts Centre in Galashiels on the first Wednesday of the month, and the Wilton Church Hall in Hawick on the third Wednesday of the month, and people we support and their families come along and sing their hearts out to music of all genres. The choir now has a broad repertoire, including traditional songs, songs by ABBA, songs from musicals and, by request, they will be even looking at some by Meatloaf!
After hearing about the Charity Film Awards, Team Manager Claire Taylor thought it would be a brilliant idea for the Choir to enter for 2020. The choir had made a short promotional film at its previous Christmas concert and this film was perfect! The Charity Film Awards were created to celebrate the success of film in engaging supporters, driving positive conversations and encouraging donations for good causes. Their website states that ‘charities that enter the Charity Film Awards create videos that have power to move, to warm hearts and to inspire’. That is exactly what The Keys to Life Choir does!
The categories for entering were based on the charity's turnover for the latest financial year, so everyone has a chance to win an award regardless of the size of the organisation and the budgets available.
The films were judged in two phases: -
- firstly by the public who will determine a short list of entries for each category (the People’s Choice Award).
- secondly by a panel of expert judges who will vote independently to choose winners from the short list
Everyone was absolutely delighted when it was announced that The Keys to Life Choir had been awarded Silver, in their category, for the People’s Choice Award and then Bronze by the panel.
Team Manager Claire (pictured here with her glass of fizz enjoying the event) said: -
“This is an absolutely fantastic achievement! Everyone has worked so hard and, more importantly, had amazing fun and there were loads of laughs along the way. You can see we have some born performers in our midst! Being awarded Silver for the People’s Choice Award is hugely important. We achieved this due to the large amount of people who voted for our film online, and this has raised the profile of the group and the wider organisation. I am extremely proud of everyone! It is not the end - we will keep you updated on what the Choir are up to next!”
If you didn’t manage to see the awards you can still see the virtual event by clicking here https://charityfilmawards.com/
If you would like to find out more about The Keys to Life Choir or The Richmond Fellowship Scotland please email info@trfs.org.uk.