A CHOIR made up of children and teenagers with learning disabilities wowed crowds who turned up to watch its end of year show.
The Atmosphere Glee Choir performed at the at Highfields Fire Station in Beeston on Friday to a packed crowd.
Around 20 children, some accompanied by their parents, sang a medley of songs covering a range of genres from the swinging 60s to contemporary pop under the watchful eye of professional gospel singer Mellonie Page.
The choir was the brainchild of mother-of-two Jill Carter, from Bramcote, who started it in December 2010 at the request of her daughter Jessie, who suffers from autism and obsessive compulsive disorder.
She said: "It started off with us going round friends houses and having a sing-song.
"Then it materialised into something bigger now we have a lot of members, and people really enjoy watching our end-of-year show."
Dawn Pillar of Wollaton, said the choir had been instrumental in developing the confidence of her daughter. Eleanor, 19, who suffers from Coffin–Lowry syndrome and has been a member from the start. "She loves it," said Dawn. "There are times when I can leave her on stage singing and she won't be scared of performing on her own – it's brilliant."
Coffin-Lowry syndrome is a rare inherited disorder characterised by skull abnormalities, short stature and learning disability.
Mrs Carter quit her job to start a company called Pulp Friction – a mobile pedal-powered smoothie bar, which she and her daughter Jessie take to events like music festivals and school fairs.
The company recruits other young adults with learning difficulties to supervise the bike while the customer pedals to make their smoothie.
Pulp Friction Atmosphere Glee Choir meets on Fridays from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Beeston Fire Station in Hassocks Lane. The choir is open to anyone who loves to sing and wants to perform at community events. It is a mixed age and mixed ability choir led by a professional voice coach who helps choristers to learn new songs, improve their singing skills and prepare for public performances. For more information, call 07794 676398
