Shining in the Spotlight
Each year we eagerly await The Big Sing Off, and this year’s show was even more magical than ever before! This year the event was hosted by FCA Cymru, who proudly welcomed 7 other choirs from across the UK to compete with them at the ICC centre for the coveted title of the winning choir. The event was a bold celebration of Welsh culture, with flags waving proudly and an introduction in Cymraeg from the main stage.
Our competition was hosted this year by two young people from FCA Cymru, helped along by our trio of charming Ringmasters, who did a fantastic job of introducing the acts and hyping up the crowd as they eagerly awaited our star performers.
The children of the Cymru choir chose brilliant themes for this year— ‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘Legends.’
Little Legends
As our youngsters took to the stage to sing hits from legends including The Beatles, Katy Perry and Aretha Franklin, they were met with cheers and applause from a packed auditorium of supporters all waving flags. Their dazzling performances had the crowds singing along, laughing, and gasping in awe. Celebrities including popstars, Chesney Hawkes, H from Steps and fostering advocate Joe Swash sent their well-wishes to the children via video.
After performing, the children were treated to a whole host of activities, which included face painting, jewellery making, a magic act and the chance to learn some circus skills. Children also had the chance to meet some of their favourite characters, including Bluey and Peppa Pig. After all the singing and excitement, our choirs and their families enjoyed a well-deserved lunch, which included an enormous chocolate fountain, popcorn and freshly-spun candyfloss!
Helping out while having fun
After lunch, the audience were wowed as Britain’s Got Talent stars Afrikan Warriors took to the stage to amaze us all with a heart-racing acrobatics performance. Then it was time to win some fantastic prizes at the raffle, the proceeds of which raised over £500 for Comfort Cases UK, a charity which provides children in foster care with all the essentials they’ll need when moving to a new home, as well as comforting items they can treasure, such as teddy bears.
The CEO of Comfort Cases UK proudly took to the stage to thank everyone for their efforts in raising money for children, as well as to congratulate the choirs on their incredible performances.
Bright smiles and magical memories
“Nothing beats seeing the smiles on the children’s faces,” said Laura, a new staff member who enjoyed her first outing to The Big Sing Off. “Lots of us work at a desk all day, so having the opportunity to come here and see the kids enjoying themselves with their foster families really brings our work to life. It makes you so proud to see the children happy and to see everything our foster families are achieving.”
And the winner is…
Our winning choir this year was FCA Northern Ireland, whose stand-out choir ‘Emerald Melodies’ flew all the way to Wales to wow the audience with their stunning performance of the Imagine Dragons song, ‘Believer,’ an inspiring tune about overcoming hardship and celebrating our resilience.
Their outstanding chorography left everyone blown away, including the judges, who crowned them the winners and invited them back onto the stage to treat us to another performance and to lead the audience in a sing-song. Their day of wowing the crowds didn’t stop there—on their triumphant flight back home to Northern Ireland, the passengers and crew of their plane even asked for a performance of their winning song!
As children left the auditorium, they were all given a medal to thank them for putting on the most amazing show, and cupcakes and balloons were handed out to take home. All in all, it was an incredible day, and everyone left with a huge smile on their face!
A great family day out
The Big Sing Off is just one of the many ways in which we bring everybody together to celebrate every single person who makes the FCA family so special. A huge congratulations to our winning choir, and to everyone who took part and made The Big Sing Off 2024 a day to remember. We hope to see you all next year for another outstanding show!
Interested in learning more about The Big Sing Off? Hear from our event organisers about what makes the event so special to children and their families.
