Press release -
Musical director composes herself for half marathon
A singer from Barry is taking on the IAAF World Half Marathon to raise money for a unique choir she directs, based in Cwmbran.
Every Thursday Ali Shone, 38, leads the Strike a Chord for stroke choir which brings together stroke survivors and their friends, family and carers.
Singing has been proven to aid a person’s recovery post-stroke. One third of stroke survivors have aphasia following a stroke which can mean difficulty reading, writing, understanding and even speaking. Amazingly for most people who cannot speak following a stroke they find they can still sing as it accesses another part of the brain.
The choir was formed in June 2014 and came about thanks to funding from Head for Arts. Now, over a year and a half later, the choir has 25 confident and skilled singers. At Christmas they held their first public concert, and raised an amazing £1,342.
Ali, a soprano and music teacher, is getting her running shoes on to continue to fundraise for the group. She explained,
“Music and running are two great passions of mine so running to raise money for Strike a Chord is the perfect combination. I find running to be such a release for the mind and the choir members are finding the same with music. That’s why I've decided to compete in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff on the 26 March.
“I really want to do the choir proud as each and every one of them mean so much to me. Music and especially singing is so therapeutic so we need to ensure this exceptional choir can continue long into the future.”
With the choir going from strength to strength they were delighted to hear they had been short-listed for the Epic Awards 2016 in the People’s Choice category. Alison and the choir have been overwhelmed with the response to the choir’s nomination for the Awards.
To support Ali and her efforts in the World Half Marathon Championships visit https://www.justgiving.com/Alison-Shone4/
If you’d like to show you’re support for the choir in the Epic Awards visit http://shortlist.epicawards.co.uk/ and give them a thumbs-up. Make sure to verify your vote when you receive the confirmation email to make it count.
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A stroke is a brain attack which happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, caused by a clot or bleeding in the brain. There are around 152,000 strokes in the UK every year and it is the leading cause of severe adult disability. There are over 1.2 million people in the UK living with the effects of stroke.
Stroke Association is a charity. We believe in life after stroke and together we can conquer stroke. We work directly with stroke survivors and their families and carers, with health and social care professionals and with scientists and researchers. We campaign to improve stroke care and support people to make the best recovery they can. We fund research to develop new treatments and ways of preventing stroke. The Stroke Helpline (0303 303 3100) provides information and support on stroke. More information can be found at www.stroke.org.uk
