12th March 2026 • The HERALD • Page 11 v SHOP LOCALLY FOR SERVICE & VALUE v NEW FOREST PLUMBING AND MAINTENANCE 24/7 LTD *YOUR LOCAL 24 HOUR EMERGENCY CALL OUT PLUMBER* We provide a wide range of plumbing services, with an established reputation for quality, service and customer satisfaction. www.newforestplumbing.co.uk Contact us on 07912 092557 or 023 8194 0237 newforestplumbing@yahoo.com 07946 222820 info@hunterwgc.co.uk www.hunterwgc.co.uk WINTER’S HERE - GET YOUR GUTTERS CLEANED OUT & REPAIRED Domestic & Commercial • WINDOW CLEANING • FASCIAS • SOFFITS • GUTTERING • CONSERVATORIES • GUTTER REPAIRS Local Folk Singer And Dementia Choir Leader’s New Album Going Down A Storm On BBC Radio 2! Amy Hopwood, a local songwriter, artist and community singing leader released her new album “Gone to flowers” on 19th February. Before its o cial release Amy’s album received wonderful reviews and lots of radio play. Prior to the launch more than 50 radio DJs had played tracks from it, with several making it their album of the week. Amy says the icing on the cake was hearing her track “Breadcrumbs” being played by Mark Radcli e on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show. “I had no idea it was going to be played! I received a text from a friend saying they’d just heard me on the radio, so I rushed off to listen on catch up and there he was talking about how fascinating and compelling he found the song and also recommending people go and watch the animated music video I had made. I didn’t stop smiling for at least 24 hours!” “Gone to flowers” features 13 quirky new songs, around the theme of endings and mortality. e songs are mostly in the folk genre, but with surprises like a Mexican Day of the Dead feel on the traditional English folk song “Like a leaf”; Eastern European avours on “A nice wooden bench” and a bit of Americana with “It doesn’t matter now”. You’ll hear 21 layers of harmonic vocals on “All shall be well”; eld recordings from nature on many of the tracks and the voices of her social media followers and dementia choir members whispering their favourite proverbs on the song “Breadcrumbs”. Her fantastical stories include a hubristic man who gets eaten by a magical cat “Igor Potemkin meets Bayun the cat”, and an evil fairy who gives her unwanted birthday gi s on “I’d rather be older (than dead)”. e songs are accompanied by a CD booklet of Amy’s artwork and various handcra ed characters which she animates in beautiful and painstaking stop-motion videos. You can listen to the album on Spotify, Apple, Amazon or buy the CD from Bandcamp or from www.amyhopwood.co.uk Amy grew up locally in Dibden Purlieu, she now lives in Boscombe and runs the popular Forget-menot Singing Club for people with dementia and their friends on Fridays, 2pm in Brockenhurst Methodist Church Hall. Amy said “I’m really excited to finally share this new music! Although the subject matter of the album is quite dark – divorce, ageing, death – people keep telling me how comforting and reassuring they find it. I think perhaps using music and animation (and a little humour) makes it easier for us to look at the harder aspects of being human. Working with people who have dementia and their families, that is something I can’t shy away from”. Recent reviews: “A winning thing… Fascinating!” - Mark Radcli e, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show. “If you like songs that are fun, witty, clever, poignant and perceptive then this is an album for you.” - Bob Amy Hopwood Ford, Folk and Roots Show, Sherbourne Radio. “I’m already thinking about it now it has finished, some things just get under your skin”, “One for you, John Peel, wherever you may be” - Get Ready to Rock webzine.
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