On the 26th of August, staff at Paragraf entertained colleagues and local businesses to a delightful musical event. The Paragraf Ukulele Club set up their chairs and instruments outside the company’s premises in Somersham, Cambridgeshire, and performed several popular songs. Song sheets were handed out, so that everyone could join in.
The club was started in July 2020, on the initiative of Cathy Cranton, Finance Director at Paragraf. Cathy comments: “As staff were returning to the office after the first lockdown in early 2020, we wanted to do something fun to bring people together again, whilst still keeping a safe distance. Ukulele lessons seemed to fit the bill, so we contacted Jess Roberts, a singer and music teacher from True Voice, to teach us how to play the instrument during weekly on-site lessons.”
With the second lockdown in March 2021, the lessons had to continue over Zoom. Rosie Baines, Associate Scientist at Paragraf, who performed the vocals together with Rob Moorcroft, adds: “Our sessions were quite challenging in the beginning, especially as Jess couldn’t hear us play individually, or give personal attention. But we persevered and it’s so exciting to be able to show everyone what we have learnt.”
Collaboration is one of the company’s core values, and the Ukulele Club has certainly shown what can be achieved through teamwork. Next on the cards is a Christmas Concert – we can’t wait to hear what songs they have in store for us!