Sponsorship helps national signing choir competition

Always on the look-out to support the local community, Lesley Cree Opticians recently seized an opportunity to be a bronze sponsor of the National Signing Choir Competition 2017.

Marked as the first ever UK National Signing Choir Competition the event was held at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 11 March. The competition featured 14 signing choir groups from around the country, who travelled to Nottingham in the hope of becoming the first winners of the newly founded competition.

There are a number of signing choirs throughout the UK and they are one of the fastest growing choir genres in recent years. Because British Sign Language is a visual language it makes the songs come alive as the choirs perform with their hands rather than their voices, but the outcome of the flow of hands is very much on par with the flow of voices.

Opening the night’s proceedings was the Lace City Chorus, a highly regarded, premier barbershop who have represented Nottingham and the UK in the World Championship events held around the world.

In charge of judging the event was local musician Nick Entwistle, disability and equality trainer Michele Taylor and actress Rebecca Anne Withey who is most notable for her past work on the hit BBC show Grange Hill.

Lesley Cree Opticians decided to get involved in the competition following a request from a patient who is a member of The Radcliffe Community Signing Choir which was founded in 2013. Deaf people can follow music because the songs that are signed are usually well known songs both modern and classics which are translated into British Sign Language.

The categories winners on the night were deFerrers Sign choir, a school based choir from Burton on Trent, and DeeSign choir from Chester.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Lesley Cree said, “I wanted to sponsor something that was a little bit different to the other sponsorship opportunities we have chosen in the past. Signed Singing is a visual journey through song that definitely helps you to understand and appreciate music in a whole new way.”

Other companies sponsoring and supporting the event include, John A. Stephens, The Manvers Arms Pub, M.A Mills Funeral Service and Golden Charter.

The next National Signing Choir Competition will take place in 2019 and will be hosted in Liverpool.