Wokingham

Friday evening (February 3) saw over 20 young people from across the Wokingham district performing some of their favourite songs and dance routines in front of a packed theatre at Bearwood College in Wokingham.

The academy showcase was organised by young people from the Wokingham district and was supported by Wokingham District Council’s youth service. All proceeds from the event, totalling £100, will be donated to the children’s clinic at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

Wokingham District Council youth worker Cyril Sansum said: “The idea behind the event was to showcase the singing talent of young people in the district. During the auditions the youth service made some fantastic discoveries of young people with real abilities to sing and entertain a live audience, and that takes a lot of courage and self-confidence. Judging by the response of the audience, the event was a huge success and who knows, we may be looking at future pop stars.”

The standard of singing was extremely high thanks to the professional voice coaching given to each participant. One of the aims of the project was to provide young people with access to professional singing lessons. Lori Tingay is a professional voice and communications skills coach with Perfect Pitch Coaching Limited, and has visited youth centres across the district, improving vocal skills and suggesting techniques on how to develop stage presence.

Lori said: “Working with these young people has been a fantastic experience. This kind of opportunity is vital for building self-esteem and giving them a chance to show what they can do. It’s been challenging for some of them but developing their confidence and singing skills to perform in public was a real achievement. Many of the young people sang duets with friends, and working together on a company song, brought a fantastic team effort to the whole of the project.”

The event was organised by Lisa Prior from Wokingham as part of her gold youth achievement award. Young people from Wokingham, Twyford, Finchampstead and Lower Earley participated in the event.

Chairman of the council Wokingham Cllr Iain Brown said: “It was a privilege to have been invited to the academy showcase. Since I became Chairman back in May I have been lucky enough to witness the talents of so many young people. The event on Friday night was a huge success for all those who took part and it is great to see so many young people full of confidence. I would like to extend my thanks to Lisa Prior for her hard work and I was delighted to present her with a bouquet of flowers for her dedication in pulling this professional showcase together so successfully.”

Wokingham District Council