On Tuesday 18 November, 21 boys from PEPW (Manor House) left for Thames Hospice in Maidenhead to sing and play a range of pieces for an audience made up of patients, their families, and hospice staff.
Our House had spent the past week preparing their melodies, with songs ranging from Let Her Go by Passenger (performed by a fledgling Manor House Band of three C Blockers) to piano pieces from the 18th century. We hoped the audience would enjoy and be impressed with the diverse selection of pieces.
Walking into the venue, we were taken aback by the number of people who had packed into the hospice’s large cafeteria to watch the performance. Also present were family members of patients who had been notified by the Hospice of the upcoming event. This family inclusion made it even more special for us with babies babbling in between songs—a humorous touch.
The hospice’s building in Berkshire is undeniably beautiful. The blend of vast lake views and extensive, accessible, garden space created an environment that immediately took our breath away. We could see how important and successful the work Thames Hospice is doing, with our own eyes.
The event itself was superb, and I felt proud to call myself a member of PEPW (Manor House). The work the boys put into learning their pieces was clear throughout the performance and rounding off with our House Shout song Be my Baby was the perfect ending (or so we thought). After having 21 boys singing in harmony together, there erupted from the crowd, a call for an encore, in which we sang Piano Man after two minutes of preparation.
Although we loved every minute of the outing, there was a sombre undertone leaving the hospice. We were so humbled by the reaction of our visit and how uplifting it was, but later, we were told of the national shortage of hospice beds, on account of lack of funding, which has been affecting Thames Hospice in the last few years.
We look forward to future opportunities to engage with Thames Hospice in the future.
