Soundabout started its first inclusive choir in Oxford in 2019 to create accessible musical communities and give a voice to people with severe learning disabilities. Despite the pandemic, the project has grown considerably since then to form 12 inclusive choirs.

James Sloane, an internal recruitment consultant for Actemium in the UK, and Soundabout’s sponsor, tells us: “Soundabout is a great organisation that performs an important role in local communities. I’m delighted to be their sponsor. Who doesn’t appreciate a bit of music in their life?”

As part of its mission to combat social exclusion and to strengthen communities in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Fondation VINCI UK awarded Soundabout Inclusive Choirs a £4,266 grant to purchase instruments and computing equipment. At the same time, VINCI Energies employees have been able to offer practical help.

The organisation played a decisive role during the lockdowns in the UK in 2020, creating online sessions to enable people with profound disabilities to stay connected with other members of the organisation.

Clare Cook, the Soundabout CEO, said that for her: “Soundabout exists so music can change the lives of people with severe and profound learning disabilities, building musical communities without barriers like our Soundabout Inclusive Choirs. We are extremely grateful to VINCI for supporting us with the equipment we needed to launch and run five new hybrid (online and face-to-face) choirs across the West Midlands and the South West.

The VINCI UK Foundation was established in 2016 to promote integration and social cohesion in the communities around VINCI business units. Since then, the Fondation has donated almost £1.2 million, along with practical help from VINCI employees, to 169 charities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland with a focus on improving access to training, employment, accommodation, healthcare, mobility and leisure for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society.

You can find out more on the project here.