Post Office choir founder says 'therapuetic' BGT stint was 'life changing'
Hear Our Voice, the choir made up of people affected by the Post Office scandal which placed seventh in the recent series of Britain's Got Talent, are releasing a new charity single alongside band Will & The People.
The single, Falling Down, is a rendition of the song they performed in their audition for Britain's Got Talent. And choir founder Mark Wildblood says the initiative has been 'life changing' for him, admitting the talent show stint has made a significant impact on his mental health.
'I personally have found it very therapeutic,' said Mark. 'I was on antidepressants prescribed by my doctor for a long long time and I spoke to them very early this year and I said, 'Look [the choir] is really starting to make me feel good and I wouldn't mind trying to go without [the antidepressants].
"So, at the recommendation of doctors I was told it's ok to give it a go and I haven't been back on them since,' he says of the choir's impact.
Continuing that it has given him 'purpose' following dark days, Mark shared, 'It's not difficult to get caught up in dwelling on all of the negatives. So, to be surrounded by the same people that you talk to about it every day and that are seeing the positives as well, I think we've done a really really positive thing and a lot of that is thanks to BGT.'
While Mark says the choir has meant he's managed to let go of 'anger' he was holding onto against the post office, he confirms that the 'concern' remains. 'My concern for the procedure is not eliminated. We still have to make sure that we get closure and closure can only come with compensation.'
Mark was a sub-postmaster at Upton Post Office before he was suspended from the role as one of the thousands of people impacted by the Post Office scandal. The scandal saw the wrongful prosecution of sub-postmasters and postmistresses by the Post Office, who accused them of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to faulty data from the Horizon IT system used by the company.
He founded the choir in May 2024, inviting others impacted by the scandal to take part and raise money for the cause, alongside awareness. As the former tour manager for Will and the People, Mark then enlisted lead singer Will Rendle to get involved as he fronted the act on Britain's Got Talent.
And detailing how the choir has become a family dynamic, Mark said, 'W e always say to each other that we have become family now. The choir is spread out throughout the country and so BGT has given us the opportunity to actually meet five times in a very short space of time and be together.'
Many of the victims are still awaiting compensation from the Post Office, with Mark admitting that despite the success of their campaigning and the recent TV series; Mr Bates vs The Post Office, there's still a long way to go.
It comes as Simon Recaldin, a Post Office boss who has been backing compensation for the scandal victims, has left his position in the company. Simon is thought to have opted for voluntary redundancy, a move which comes amid the increased pressure on the company to pay victims. Previously, the government announced that those who have had convictions overturned are eligible for £600,000, with hundreds still waiting for the compensation.
'Scandals like these have a commonality where the bureaucracy of closure takes so long that many people pass away by the time that the situations are resolved - I just hope that we don't get into that situation,' says Mark of those yet to be paid. 'We've already lost a lot of people in the Post Office scandal and we can't afford to lose more without getting a speed up, so I would say to those in power, please change the system. It'll be better for everyone all round and cost a lot less money if they just do it now as it should be,' pleaded Mark.
With fellow choir member Maria Lockwood joking that the unit would be keen to front the Glastonbury stage this summer, Mark says he isn't opposed to the idea. "We wouldn't say no to anything where we had the opportunity to get together in person again and Glastonbury would be amazing, that would be phenomenal."
Falling Down, the single by Hear Our Voice choir and Will and The People, is available on all platforms from tomorrow, 10 June. 100% of profits after costs from the single are going to the Horizon Scandal Fund and Lost Chances—two organisations supporting victims and their families.
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