I can remember loading up my car at 6.00am in the dark whilst nursing my usual back ache. I so much wanted it to work. I know from personal experience that playing my guitar has helped me through the most difficult and challenging times and I wanted passionately to pass on this life saving gift to others.

After lugging my equipment into the sports hall, I sat in this big empty space and played quietly on my own, hoping someone would come to join in.

It was a long time in the making and I spent many Thursday mornings sat on my own in the corner listening to my jangling guitar echoing around the hall. I had some lovely compliments from passing staff, but no one came to join in.

I began to feel it would never take off. Then Matt came along, he’s a harmonica player who I’d briefly met months before at a music group being run in Penzance by an outside company. He wanted to build confidence in his playing and I needed to build my own confidence in running the music session.

We moved the session into a smaller, more comfortable room, off the large hall (Holly?) and began to work together. Matt suggested we learn “Low Rider” a tune that most of us have heard and perfect for him to develop his playing style.

We were soon playing more coherently and confidently. The sounds were permeating  the whole building. Passing people were looking in and other musicians were taking an interest.

More gradually joined us and today there are usually six or more participants who really enjoy the session and look forward to it. Passing people stop and listen and interest is still growing.

We now have a growing collection of songs that could be played to an audience. At the 2025 KRC Christmas lunch I had the privilege of performing a few songs with Matt in the big hall and it was a great pleasure to see how his confidence had increased, as did my own, since we started.

Its been a total pleasure to see the group develop and I cant wait to see what the future holds.

It was January 2025. My first music session at the John Daniels Centre. The posters had been put around.

I can remember loading up my car at 6.00am in the dark whilst nursing my usual back ache. I so much wanted it to work. I know from personal experience that playing my guitar has helped me through the most difficult and challenging times and I wanted passionately to pass on this life saving gift to others.

After lugging my equipment into the sports hall, I sat in this big empty space and played quietly on my own, hoping someone would come to join in.

It was a long time in the making and I spent many Thursday mornings sat on my own in the corner listening to my jangling guitar echoing around the hall. I had some lovely compliments from passing staff, but no one came to join in.

I began to feel it would never take off. Then Matt came along, he’s a harmonica player who I’d briefly met months before at a music group being run in Penzance by an outside company. He wanted to build confidence in his playing and I needed to build my own confidence in running the music session.

We moved the session into a smaller, more comfortable room, off the large hall and began to work together. Matt suggested we learn “Low Rider” a tune that most of us have heard and perfect for him to develop his playing style.

We were soon playing more coherently and confidently. The sounds were permeating  the whole building. Passing people were looking in and other musicians were taking an interest.

More gradually joined us and today there are usually six or more participants who really enjoy the session and look forward to it. Passing people stop and listen and interest is still growing.

We now have a growing collection of songs that could be played to an audience. At the 2025 KRC Christmas lunch I had the privilege of performing a few songs with Matt in the big hall and it was a great pleasure to see how his confidence had increased, as did my own, since we started.

Its been a total pleasure to see the group develop and I cant wait to see what the future holds.