Beckenham care home choir takes Queen songs to a national talent final

A choir from Beckenham Park Care Home will sing three Queen songs in Birmingham on Wednesday 7 October, when it competes in the final of the Care Sector’s Got Talent competition.

Fifteen residents sing with the Avery Songbirds. Staff and volunteers supply five singers each. After weeks of rehearsals, the choir will perform We Will Rock You, Radio Ga Ga and I Want to Break Free. The winning choir takes home £5,000.

Why the Beckenham choir picked Queen

Choir leader Sorrell O’Sullivan, a wellbeing assistant at the home, said the songs were partly chosen to challenge how people see life in care. “We need to get rid of the stereotypes of Vera Lynn,” she said. She said residents helped pick the songs and shape the dance routines. The home’s maintenance manager also agreed to play Freddie Mercury in drag.

Gill, 72, a former nursery teacher, moved in when the home opened four years ago. She joked that her granddaughter told her she could not sing. She said she plans to bring Tina Turner’s energy to the final.

Residents who met at the care home

Doreen, 87, sings next to her partner Ray, also 87, whom she met at the home. She said he asked her out by offering her a cup of tea. Ray worked as a bookbinder and later as a driving instructor. He says he will not sing unless Doreen is beside him.

Ray cares less about the result than about the choir pulling together as a team. Gill and Doreen take a different view. “Now we just need to win,” Doreen said.