Amy Pritchard

Our latest F Jones Initiative winner this month is the fabulous Amy Pritchard, Signing Sensations Choir, Group Leader.
Amy’s background and passion from a very young age has been to support people with a hearing impairment. She first started signing at the age of 6, as she attended a school where there were two children who were deaf and used sign language to communicate. These children would come into the classroom from the unit they attended, and the other children weren’t “allowed” to talk to them, as they didn’t know how to communicate with them. This made Amy determined to learn British Sign Language (BSL), so that she was able to make friends with them.
She continued to learn BSL at college on her childcare course and secured a job at a primary school, in a hearing-impaired unit. During this time Amy supported a young person and moved with him to St Christopher’s school. Recognising that this young person needed to make friends, Amy thought the best way would be through song and signing.
This is how Signing Sensations first started, practice was during lunch time, many new people joined, and lifelong friendships were formed. Sadly, Covid restrictions meant the choir was unable to practise, and the young person Amy had supported left school. Amy approached Dynamic, a local charity that supports children and young people with disabilities, as she worked there after school and suggested starting a Dynamic choir. They have been able to invite young people back who had left school. The choir is so unique because all members have a disability or additional learning need.
The choir has been inundated with requests for performances, confidence is growing, and Amy tells us that seeing them all smile and enjoy themselves is her biggest reward in life.
Well done Amy, absolutely fabulous work!