Canterbury Skylarks
Canterbury Skylarks is a singing group for people with Parkinson’s and their companions. The group is led by a professional facilitator and has been running for over 10 years. Canterbury Skylarks is the flagship group of the Sing to Beat Parkinson’s network.
Where and when
Canterbury Skylarks meet weekly on Tuesdays in term time between 2 and 3pm. The sessions alternate between taking place online via zoom and in person at the Kent MS Centre, CT4 7DZ (near the Canterbury Rugby Club). The face-to-face sessions are in collaboration with Simon Langton Boys' School - they are run by the school's head of music and artistic director of CCT Emily Renshaw-Kidd, and we are joined by some of the school's 6th formers, which gives a wonderful added dimension to the sessions. The face-to-face sessions are also 'live streamed', meaning that Skylarks is available on zoom every week. People can choose to take part only on zoom, only face-to-face or both versions! For further information please contact Lucy Markes
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Fees for the sessions
The fee for the face to face sessions os £4 on a pay as you come basis. We do not charge a fee for the zoom sessions but would ask you to consider making a donation.
Gift Aid
You can download the Canterbury Cantata Trust gift aid declaration form by clicking the button below. Please hand in the completed form at a rehearsal or post to the Trust at our contact address.
Sing to Beat Parkinson's
Sing to Beat Parkinson’s groups are singing groups for people with Parkinson’s, and their friends. The first group (Skylarks) was founded in 2010 by Roger Clayton and Grenville Hancox to enable People with Parkinson’s to better express themselves, and to relieve some of the symptoms they experience.
The groups use techniques shown by over 10 years of research to help those with Parkinson’s or dementia to maintain or improve their psychological and physical wellbeing through taking part in regular singing activity. Many people with Parkinson’s have vocal problems, and regular singing can help to strengthen the voice.
Listen to BBC report ‘Singing in a choir brings both health and happiness (Skylarks extract from 14:30)
We think that member Tony Lord’s singing of ‘Streets of London’ must be one of the most convincing demonstrations of the impact of singing for people with Parkinson’s.
Grenville says, “When we sing, it’s almost completely impossible to think about anything else – so people’s awareness is concerned purely with singing. This focus can have enormous benefits – it certainly makes me feel better!”
The sessions provide a supportive and friendly environment where people can engage in beneficial physical activity and form new friendships.