Fascinating Rhythm to host Christmas Concert for Ups and Downs Southwest
Fascinating Rhythm members have supported Ups and Downs Southwest as their chosen charity through a series of events and activities throughout the year. The choir’s fundraising efforts will culminate in a Christmas Concert on December 10 2022.
The Ups and Downs Southwest team are hoping to welcome local music lovers and supporters of the charity to enjoy a special evening of a cappella harmony and entertainment at the Blakehay Theatre in Weston-super-Mare.
Fascinating Rhythm will be performing a range of songs from their diverse repertoire and will be joined on stage by their small in-house group RhythmMix and home-grown quartets Ebb Tide, Neptune and Specs Appeal.
Tickets for the concert are available online: Christmas Charity Concert at The Blakehay Theatre event tickets from TicketSource
Charity of the Year 2022
Fascinating Rhythm member, Joan, is a trustee for Ups and Downs Southwest and has been the charity’s Treasurer for the past 18 months. She nominated Ups and Downs at the choir’s Annual General Meeting and is delighted that members selected it as their chosen charity for 2022.
“It’s wonderful what Ups and Downs Southwest do to improve the lives of children with Down syndrome and help their families and work with schools. I’ve been Treasurer and trustee for the charity for nearly two years and have found through fundraising and talking about the charity that people are willing to support its work. I aim to see the charity get onto a strong financial footing because it relies entirely on fundraising and donations. I will enjoy being on stage to sing at this special concert with Fascinating Rhythm and RhythmMix.”
“I was working in the charity sector and was part-way through my health and social care degree when I saw the opportunity to join Ups and Downs Southwest. I joined their Somerset headquarters in 2016, and since then, the charity has grown so much that we’ve opened a second office in Bristol! I feel incredibly humbled that Fascinating Rhythm’s ladies voted to support Ups and Downs Southwest again this year, as they had already gone out of their way to make the This Is Me film in 2019. The fact that they chose Ups and Downs Southwest is awesome, and their fundraising efforts make me so proud of the chorus. I’m looking forward to us singing This Is Me because of the awareness-raising video we made with Ups and Downs Southwest in 2019 for World Down syndrome Awareness Day. We learned Makaton signing for the video, and I’m keen that we keep this going – we find that signing and singing to a live audience is very powerful and emotive.”
Fascinating Rhythm’s Musical Director, Jo, who works as a Director for Ups and Downs Southwest
Fascinating Rhythm’s first public sing-out of 2022, at Keynsham Memorial Park Bandstand, was their first fundraising opportunity for Ups and Downs. Since then, members of the chorus have also organised Music With Mummy Easter parties, a ‘bingo and prosecco’ night, fundraising lunches and a ‘summer supper’ evening in aid of the charity. Thornbury Inner Wheel will also be holding a carol service on December 14 2022, with a retiring collection for Ups and Downs Southwest.
Ups and Downs Southwest
Ups and Downs Southwest aims to support families, professionals and all those involved in the care and education of children and young people (aged 0 to 25 years) with Down Syndrome. The charity currently supports more than 300 families in the Southwest, with a team of professional support workers and team leaders. Some members of the team have a child with Down Syndrome or other disabilities and have personal knowledge and experience of the challenges that may lie ahead as well as knowing how important it is to celebrate the achievements.
Ups and Downs Southwest provides advice and support, time and understanding, face-to-face support, assistance with benefit and education forms, an advocacy service, family days, children and young people activities, advice and support for professionals, training events, and education service.
Ups and Downs Southwest relies solely on public funding and needs to raise £360,000 per year to keep running. Funds raised at the concert will go directly into their frontline services, providing support for families, children and young people in the local area.
Christmas Concert Tickets
Tickets for the Christmas Concert are available online: Christmas Charity Concert at The Blakehay Theatre event tickets from TicketSource
Alternatively, you can support Ups and Downs Southwest by making a donation via their website or taking part in one of their fundraising initiatives.
Fascinating Rhythm previously partnered with Ups and Downs Southwest to produce a video of the song This Is Me from the hit musical film The Greatest Showman for World Down Syndrome Awareness Day in 2019.
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