An opera singer has taken to her balcony in London to perform for her neighbours during the coronavirus lockdown.
Singer Phoebe Haines sang classical renditions of Amazing Grace and You Raise Me Up on Wednesday evening from her home in London’s East Village in Stratford.
Ms Haines said she hoped the performance would “brighten” her neighbours’ days as they are encouraged to stay at home.
“I thought it would be far more meaningful to sing this to an audience than to simply practise it alone in my flat,” she said.
Ms Haines added: “A week or so before the lockdown began, my friend, soprano Jessie Tse, and I had started to sing on the balcony, as we had heard that singers in Italy had been creating free concerts for their neighbours that way.
“The following week, it was actually my mum’s idea to sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. It is such an inspiring song and it means so much to so many different people.
“I had such a lovely warm response from the neighbours and I felt so happy to be able to add a bit of music to their day.
“Since the lockdown, I hope I can continue to use music in a way which brightens people’s days and gives back to my local community.”
Elsewhere in London, a Notting Hill vicar has taken his church services to the streets, holding a 10-minute service in a different location each evening from a loudspeaker in the boot of his car.
From a safe distance, Pat Allerton, the vicar of St Peter's, Notting Hill, hopes to lift spirits by inviting residents to sing along to the classic hymn Amazing Grace, and join the Lord's Prayer from their doorsteps and windows.
"I wanted to do it to bring a bit of joy, to bring a bit of hope, to lift spirits," he told the Evening Standard.
"People are just longing, I think, for something that keeps them connected in some way and longing for a bit of hope and somewhere to look for a bit of strength at these times."
