Mara

I’ve lived in Manchester, London, Southend and Botswana. 

Hot milk for cocoa reminds me of home.

I’m here in the choir because every member of my family, every generation I know have all been refugees asylum seekers 

I only know as far back as my grandparents they were jewish Russians feeling the persecution of the pogroms in Russia. Came to this country illiterate , my grandmother's travel document is signed with a cross. They paid people smugglers to take them to New York and he dropped them off in Manchester. The next generation down my Mum’s two sisters both married polish holocaust survivors. 

My generation, I was living in Botswana , my son’s father was active in the ANC in South Africa  fighting aparttide and had to go in to exile so I met him in Botswana.  l 

The quality that I most respect in people is integrity. 

The choir means fulfilment, it means people coming together like a family. 

I love every time we sing the songs from Southern Africa, that really fills me with joy , every time. 

The most unexpected moment of living in the UK was thinking of leaving the EU.

The thing that has kept me going is the strength and solidarity of other women. 

In the immediate future  want to see the communities I’m involved with having better lives and better futures 

Further down the line, it's hard to say because in 10 years time i'll be 83 so it's hard to picture that. good health and fighting spirit.