RECEIVING the Arts Champion of the Year award was “the perfect cherry on top” for Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Choir as members reflect on a decade of music, friendship and belonging.
The group was founded 10 years ago by Ross Hamilton – also a nominee in our Champion Mentor of the Year award – to create a safe space for friends to come together, beginning with "a dozen people standing about in a back room" with a shared love for singing.
Now, the choir is 45 strong and firmly rooted in the community, joining people from all walks of life and differing circumstances, but all leave their Monday evening rehearsals with an improved sense of confidence, mental wellbeing and joy.
Representatives collecting their deserving award know what the choir means to them and the impact it makes on all of their lives, but were still surprised to be announced as winners, selected by the judging panel in a competitive category for the happiness that they bring to each other and share with others.
When three members of the choir took to the stage to receive their award from Police Scotland Chief Inspector Ben Leathes, they couldn't quite be tempted into an impromptu performance but had no hesitations in sharing with the audience how special the group is.
Ross brought the choir together at the age of just 24 and has seen it grow “beyond my wildest dreams”, he said after the announcement of the group’s win, which was “a tribute to the incredible members”, and recognition was even more important in the context of the current arts landscape.
He said: “It’s nice that we’re able to make a difference.
“Music keeps getting cut just now – it’s the first thing that gets cut but it’s the first thing that you add to any event. Music is always there.”
The award tops off the choir’s 10th anniversary year, which saw them celebrate all that they have built together by performing to a crowd of 200 for a special concert.
They stay busy throughout the area’s social calendar too, always a popular inclusion at key events in their local community.
The choir removes barriers to participation, welcoming all abilities and emphasising shared creativity over musical perfection, which encourages people who might otherwise avoid formal arts settings.
While humble about the difference he has made to so many lives, Ross chalks the Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Choir’s success down to it offering a few hours of escape, optimism, comfort and distraction.
He added: “It’s that safe space where people can wear their heart on their sleeve and say they’re struggling; music is a distraction from that, and there’s an arm from the person next to them who tells them it’s going to be all right.
“It’s a really lovely thing.”
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