A theatre group supported by the late Princess Diana cannot wait to spread her message of inclusivity on Britain’s Got Talent this weekend.
Chickenshed has more than 800 members and a 60-strong group, ranging in age from five to 30-something, will perform Wonder, a Naughty Boy song featuring Emeli Sande, on the hit ITV show tonight.
Jimmy Adamou, 23, is among the new generation of stars from the group, which was proud to have Di as its royal patron.
He credits Chickenshed with saving his life after he lost his mum at the age of 16.
Jimmy said: “Losing a parent is a very hard thing and I always felt like it happened once in a lifetime to someone so young. Then I came to Chickenshed and there were so many people who could relate to that pain.
“I bottled a lot of emotion inside but found rap music and was able to express myself. I was able to grieve… it saved my life.
“Chickenshed gave me a second chance I thought I was never really going to get.”
Staff member and singer Cara McInanny, 26, said of the choice of song for the group: “It was right for the audition: ‘We have wonder within us and so do you’.”
Jimmy added: “We don’t criticise our flaws, we embrace and celebrate them. That’s what’s so wonderful about Chickenshed.”
For Jimmy, who works as an assistant education and outreach practitioner, going on the show had extra poignancy.
He said: “I used to watch the show with my mum and dad. We used to joke, ‘I’m going to go on Britain’s Got Talent!’”
Cara added: “Chickenshed is such a beautiful way of living and I thought the nation deserved to see how I felt every day.
“The judges were lovely. Alesha [Dixon] gave us a big cuddle. She smelled great.”
Gabriel Palmer, 20, a student on Chickenshed’s BA (Hons) degree course, added: “We’re family. That, on stage, is magical.
“I’ve been in a wheelchair for most of my life but I wouldn’t change it for anything because that’s who I am. Everybody deserves a chance to show their talents – and Chickenshed does that tenfold.”
Chickenshed was founded in 1974 by teacher Mary Ward and composers Jo Collins and Anthony Filby.
It was named after the disused shed in Barnet, North London, where it first began, but the theatre group now operates out of a complex in nearby Southgate.
While the performers would love to win the £250,000 top prize, spreading the Chickenshed message of positivity is more important. Jimmy said: “We’re doing this for every young person who has felt pushed out of society, who has been given up on.”
* Britain’s Got Talent is on ITV1 and ITVX tonight at 8pm.
