You're Choired!

Posted by See Me, 2 June 2020

Stigma is still a significant barrier to people opening up about their mental health, but sometimes when you’re struggling to find the words to say how you feel music can really help. Our champion Liam started a choir, to bring communities together and give everyone a voice. 

Hear Me, See Me have been going since August 2019. The meet every two weeks in Glasgow, and have members from across Scotland. The choir was set up by Liam Rankin, 51, from East Kilbride. Liam is a Community Champion with See Me, Scotland’s national programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination. It was through See Me that Liam started the choir, and See Me has supported him in getting it going. See Me is part funded by Comic Relief, along with the Scottish Government.

During lockdown the choir have been keeping in touch via WhatsApp, but have been giving people space to look after their mental health during this period. They are looking forward to getting going again when they can get back together.

Liam said: “I wanted to start the choir to show that everyone has a voice, everyone is equal in society and stigma and discrimination should not be tolerated.

“It empowers people to realise they don’t have to feel isolated. We can get out and show we are all people, we are all different and can’t be judged because of our mental health.

“Being involved in this (the Comic Relief UK wide choir) is probably one of the most exciting things I’ve done. It’s a dream for the Hear Me, See Me choir to be able to do this and get the message out there that it is okay not to be okay.

“I was looking at the meaning of the song, which is all about being in a group and part of something, and that is what the choir is about, it is about going somewhere and feeling a part of a community where you are loved and wanted and you can be yourself.

“This was such a good opportunity and we were all super excited to be asked to be involved. I’m so excited to see it on TV, I’ll be messaging the other guys in the choir who are taking part. It’s great to do this with them, because they have given me a great circle of friends.

“Being part of a choir fills you with so much positivity. When you’re struggling with your mental health you can feel really isolated, which is probably a way that a lot more people are feeling now. It can be difficult to have that conversation about your mental health, but when you get together with likeminded people who don’t mind if you’ve struggled with your mental health, they don’t treat you differently, or discriminate against you, it great. That’s what our choir is all about, when we get together we feel part of something and it makes you feel so good.

“I have made loads of friends through the choir, it has opened up my life completely, it is great. That is the impact that choirs, and our choir can have on you and your mental health. It gives you something to look forward to and something to achieve.

“The choir gives people a voice, they can see they are no different and when they come to the choir they can be themselves. That’s one of the most difficult things when you have a mental health problem, you feel you can’t go places because you won’t be made to feel welcome, or people won’t understand. We never judge, we will listen if people want to speak and support each other.

“The choir makes you feel part of something, there is no judgement and it is fun.

“This opportunity with the UK wide choir is something I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams. I never thought we would be part of such a  massive project, it’s probably the biggest thing I’ve done in my life. It feel so surreal. It will be good for people watching as well, to see that people in choirs are just normal people, anyone can come along and join.”

If you missed the Comic Relief UK choir as part of 'The Big Night In' last Friday then you can watch it below. Comic Relief and hitmakers Clean Bandit joined forces to say thank you to all those who supported ‘The Big Night In’, in helping vulnerable people of all ages and backgrounds across the UK during the Coronavirus crisis. They were joined by other famous faces, our very own 'Hear Me, See Me' choir set up by Liam, and other charity choirs from across the UK. 

Watch now!