Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
wHen Peter Boxell dreamed he was singing a song to his son TookWho was missing for 25 years, never thought it would eventually take him to the finals Britain’s Got Talent,
In 2013, the father casually told someone associated with the charity about his dream. missing people And, by the next day, arrangements had been made for him to visit a recording studio and work with a producer before a Christmas concert at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, London.
he told Independent: “I didn’t know what to say, because she’d gone through all this trouble, and I’d always wanted to see the inside of a recording studio. So I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll go,’ thinking that once they heard me sing, they’d probably think of an excuse not to have me sing on the show.”
But that December, Mr. Boxell presented the song Where is Lee? To a congregation in the church. “I have a very loud voice, so I didn’t need a microphone or a PA system,” he said.
“I filled the church with my voice, and I felt like I was singing for my son. It’s a really strange feeling. It was really cathartic and really uplifting, and I actually got a standing ovation.”
Along with the charity Missing People, Independent The aim is to raise £165,000 to launch secure callA free new service to help 70,000 children are reported missing every year No matter what, find support and security.
After hearing of Mr Boxell’s experience, music producer James Hawkins and the charity’s Claire Cook decided to form the Missing People Choir for people with missing loved ones. The group’s goal is to raise awareness of an issue that has devastated many families, while also helping ease the burden they face.
For over a decade, the group of over 20 has performed with The Vamps at London’s O2 Arena and reached the final. Britain’s Got Talent In 2017.
Its televised showing reunited two missing people with their families after they saw their faces publicized during the show and returned home.
donate Here Or text SAFE to 70577 to give missing people £10 – enough to get one child support.
Mr Boxell, whose son Lee went missing in 1988, said: “It’s a huge loss when a child goes missing. My son has been missing since he was 15. Now he will be in his fifties. It has been very hard for me, but I look forward to every month when we get together, and it helps me a lot.
“We rehearse together and meet together. It gives me a chance to recover from my loss.
“We’re all good friends and we all help each other and support each other, and it’s really like a little community.”
For Mr Boxell, his favorite performance was at the Cornbury Music Festival in Oxfordshire. He said: “I’ll never forget it. There were about 40 of us and we were all standing on a huge stage. When we walked up to perform, the whole arena was filled with thousands of people, mostly families, all waving and cheering.”
Another member of the choir, Beck Stratfield, joined after her 17-year-old son Finn went missing in Cornwall in 2017. “It’s obviously a place no one wants to be, but we come together and there is empathy and compassion within the choir and even within the choir supporters,” she said.
“Sometimes, if I feel like I’m going to get a little nervous, I just think about why I’m doing this – and I’m doing it for my son Finn. To be honest, that’s all I really think about, trying to get the words right.”
The goal of the choir is to meet at least once a month to perform or rehearse, playing original songs written for the group as well as songs that reflect their experiences.
Mr Boxell said: “It helps us come together, and it gives us a certain amount of relaxation. Just being in the same room together, singing together, we don’t have to talk to each other… we’ll sing, and it’s very exciting for everyone to do that.”
Please Donate Now The Independent and Missing People’s SafeCall campaign, which aims to raise £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service to help vulnerable children find safety and support.
If you or a loved one is missing, text or call the charity Missing People on 116000 for advice, support and options. It’s free, confidential and non-judgmental. or visit www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help