Community Contribution Award

Community Contribution Award: Samantha Abrahams

Nominated by Claire Colman

Sponsored by Strongvox Homes

Everyone can sing! That’s Sam Abraham’s philosophy. But she goes further too. Everyone should sing, she thinks. It’s social, it’s fun and it’s actually healthy exercise too; as good for you as yoga some say.

Sam created La La Choirs, of which there are now groups in Exeter, Exmouth, Ottery St. Mary and Plymouth. They’ve become a La La Family. As such, Sam is not just an organizer and choir leader, in Claire’s words: “She helps those in trouble, comforts those in pain, celebrates with those getting married or having babies.”

Today La La Choirs has 350 members, singing together and raising money for charity too: around £20,000 last year. Small groups of singers perform at dementia care homes, making a difference to other lives too, jogging memories long since forgotten. Sam remains humble. “All I do is share my love of singing, making it accessible to all with a huge group of people I adore.”