The Belters Family – our singing community
When they set up Little Belters in 2012, Claire and Tina O’Brien had only one goal – to provide a fun, local singing group for children who loved to sing. Neither of them realised they were sowing the seeds of a much larger singing community – a family that now has over 300 members aged from 5 to 75.
The pair are sisters from a big family….in fact they are the youngest of seven siblings! Growing up in Wythenshawe in Manchester, they belonged to a strong local community. People in their neighbourhood knew each other well and they looked out for each other.
Belonging to a big, rowdy family and to an even rowdier wider community has had a big impact on the “Belters” family which now includes six Little Belters groups, Teen Belters (for 11-16 year olds) and two choirs for women – Absolute Belters.
Tina: “Our own children have always sung with Little Belters and then Teen Belters. It’s such a great way to bond – to have a shared love of singing. And it’s not just us, our groups are full of siblings who sing together and cousins who sing together. We love it that so many of our Absolute Belters have children who sing with us too. We even had three generations from the same family performing together at Manchester Cathedral one year! Bringing the whole community together for performances is very special.”
Whilst staging fantastic performances is always important, what has become very clear is that being a “Belter” means much more than improving your vocal ability. New friendships are made in the rehearsal room every week, all are welcome, no one is judged, and everyone has something in common – singing makes them feel great.
Claire: “We’ve come to realise that belonging to a singing community is a crucial part of being a Belter. That’s why we made the decision to run all choir rehearsals ourselves…..it’s always me or Tina in the room these days because we want to know each one of our members and we want them to know what we’re about – in person.”
In a world that seems to be getting more insular and fractured, being a Belter is definitely about being part of something bigger – a community that cares, that doesn’t take itself too seriously, that knows how to have fun……..and that sings blooming brilliantly!
