During this strange and worrying time I have returned to singing after a bit of a break due to all my time and energy being taken up with family life. I am very aware of how fortunate I am to have a safe and lovely home in which I feel happy and loved and where I can sing to my heart's content. Sadly, not everyone is so fortunate. My father was a wonderful singer and musician. He was also a very kind, caring and warm-hearted person who always looked out for the weakest amongst us. He never shied away from those who were, at a glance, very different from him and never worried about appearances or social customs. He spent a large part of his life helping young people from challenging backgrounds to build a life for themselves. He also loved music, singing and opera and used to do vocalising while walking down the high-street and sang very loudly with his beautiful, bellowing tenor voice at school and church events (to my great embarrassment).

One woman in four will experience domestic violence at some point in her lifetime and two women are killed each week in England and Wales by a current or former partner. Refuge supports around 6,000 women & children on any given day, experiencing domestic and sexual violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, stalking, trafficking, prostitution & so-called ‘honour’ based violence. By kindly sponsoring me today you are helping to save and change the lives of thousands of women and children escaping domestic violence. Thank you.