Sanctuary Singers: Making a Joyful Noise Together

Judith shares why communal singing matters—and why you’re welcome just as you are…

I love to sing. I may not sound very good at all, but singing has always been a therapeutic thing for me to do. There’s something about using my voice this way; letting a melody carry me for a moment, breathing more deeply, that can quiet the noise in my head and soften any  heaviness I’m carrying.

What about you? Do you sing in the shower? Or maybe in the car with the radio turned up? In those spaces, it doesn’t really matter what you sound like—it’s about being immersed in the music and giving yourself permission to join in. Sometimes we sing when we’re happy; sometimes we sing because we want to feel happy again.

Singing alone in front of people is a different matter. It can feel pretty scary: fear of being judged, fear of getting it wrong, fear of standing out for all the wrong reasons. If you’ve had seasons where life has knocked your confidence (or if you’ve been made to feel like you don’t belong), even walking into a new room can be hard - let alone using your voice.

But have you ever been to a concert or a football match and sung along with the crowd? Your voice gets lost in the masses—and that’s the point. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be “good”. You just get to be part of something bigger.

Singing with people is good for us. It’s fun. It makes us feel better—physically and emotionally. And it’s not just a “nice idea”: studies of group singing report increases in positive emotion, reduced anxiety, stronger social bonding, and growing confidence and sense of belonging for participants. When you sing together, you breathe together, listen together, and—without needing to explain your story—you experience connection.

That’s the heart behind Sanctuary Singers: a new group with an emphasis on wellbeing and having fun. It’s for anyone who has experienced homelessness or is otherwise socially excluded—and it’s also open to service practitioners and support workers too. We want it to be a shared space where people can turn up as they are, learn together, and leave a little lighter than when they arrived.

This group is offered to meet people wherever they’re at, in the hope it helps them take small steps towards becoming who they were made to be. There’s no audition, no pressure to perform, and no expectation that you “know what you’re doing”. Just voices—tentative or confident—learning to rise together.

For me, this is beautifully captured in Psalm 100:1–2:

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.”

At Sanctuary Singers, we emphasise joy and participation—singing for enjoyment and wellbeing rather than performance. If you’ve been on the edges for a while, if confidence feels fragile, or if you simply want a place where your voice can be part of a welcoming crowd, you are invited.

We meet every Tuesday starting on 19 May, 1.30pm to 3pm, at Mill Hill Chapel, City Square, Leeds LS1 5EB.

Come and make a joyful noise with us!