Recently, we had the privilege of attending a summer picnic for a children’s charity called Beads of Courage (UK). This opportunity came about from a friend who works closely with this incredible organisation.

Not knowing how it would be received or how we might fit in, we were asked to bring some drums and an open heart to their summer event near Cambridge.

Beads of Courage offers support to restore a child’s sense of self when coping with the reality of a serious illness. Each bead a child receives marks a specific treatment, such as a painful procedure, and acknowledges their courageous journey. They ultimately have a visual representation and a tangible thing to show themselves and everyone they know just what they have gone through and just how resilient they are. This group was the first of only two community groups in the country using these beads.

The event we attended allowed family members, health practitioners and the children to come together and have some summer fun. So off we went with a car full of drums to meet some of these lovely people.

Drumming is the perfect medium for connecting without saying a word. As soon as I sat in a little corner with our beautiful drums, people just wanted to touch them.

It didn’t take long before I had my first willing and keen participants. For those standing and watching our impromptu drumming, we had clapping and non-stop wiggles for support.

Throughout the afternoon, and in between other activities set for the children to try, we had three high-energy mini sessions that had everyone playing, laughing and even dancing.

Click play on the video below:

Drumming crosses so many barriers; children of all ages were able to play right next to adults on an equal playing field. As ever with our style of interactive drumming, we soon had participants of every ability conducting us, starting and stopping the group and experiencing empowerment in a brand new way.

Some of the children had brought in their own beads and displayed them in spirals on tables around the room. Seeing each line of beads and remembering what they represented was a sobering moment and only made me more impressed with the children I met.

Considering the obstacles and challenges everyone connected with this charity must face, it was a joy to provide something so instantly rewarding. A massive thanks to Sian Hooban (who is Service Manager of the Community Children’s Nursing Team) for getting us involved. We at Creative Team Events wish the group all the best and look forward to drumming with them all again next year.

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