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Creative Arts Ambassadors

Creative Arts Ambassadors

Voices of Hope Ambassadors are passionate advocates for our cause, dedicated to raising awareness of the powerful impact our Creative Arts work has on physical and mental health, as well as social cohesion.

They serve as spokespeople and representatives for the charity—promoting our mission, values, events, performances, compositions, and fundraising initiatives. Ambassadors may participate in or perform at events, deliver speeches, collaborate on creative projects, engage with the media, and use their influence to attract attention and support for our work.

By lending their voice, platform, and presence, they help extend the reach and impact of Voices of Hope across our communities.

Joanna Gill

J Gill
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Joanna Gill is an award-winning Composer whose music has been commissioned by King Charles, performed live on BBC1, and recorded for BBC Radio 3. Joanna is passionate about the healing power of music. Her debut album Love Illuminates, featuring contemporary choral music, is written with this in mind.

Joanna also works as an Orchestrator on a Netflix series, conducts two chamber choirs, and directs the Classical music at Holy Trinity Brompton church in central London. She is delighted to be an Ambassador for the wonderful work of Voices of Hope!

She has had the joy of collaborating with the Voices of Hope choirs as a composer, writing a Christmas carol that was released in 2024. Between the choirs, the singers created lyrics from their own Christmas memories, and Joanna composed a melody that would be both memorable and achievable for them to sing. The meaning behind this project was a beautiful thing to be part of.

Fiona Costa

Read full bio here

Dr Fiona Costa, trained at the Royal College of Music, completed a PhD exploring how music alleviates pain, depression, and anxiety in older adults living in care. She is now a research fellow at the University of Roehampton, working on projects that use music to support memory and communication in people with dementia.

Fiona conducted research on how music can make a huge difference to older people’s lives. It can boost their mood, give them confidence, keep them active, help them to communicate, and much else besides — through Voices of Hope’s choirs at Raleigh House, New Malden, a community day care centre run by Staywell.

In addition to organizing monthly intergenerational concerts, Fiona serves as a trustee for the Amber Trust and Embracing Age, charities supporting visually impaired children and older adults in care.

This video shows some enthusiastic participation in a community choir. There are ideas for how to lead a choir of this type, including the training required, the choice of repertoire, and the helpful involvement of care staff.

Click here Get Involved as an Ambassador!
Joanna GILL

Joanna Gill is an award-winning composer whose music has been commissioned by King Charles, performed live on BBC1, and recorded for BBC Radio 3. Passionate about the healing power of music, Joanna’s debut album Love Illuminates features contemporary choral works written with this very purpose in mind.

Joanna brings a unique versatility to her craft, with a natural ability to capture a wide range of moods and styles within a single piece. Equally at home with both choral and symphonic writing, her work is distinguished not only by musical excellence but by a deep investment in the performers and audiences she writes for.

In addition to her composing, Joanna works as an orchestrator on a Netflix series, conducts two chamber choirs, and directs classical music at Holy Trinity Brompton in central London. She is also proud to serve as an ambassador for the inspiring work of Voices of Hope.

When not writing music she is usually paddle boarding down the river thames… or attempting to play the bagpipes!

Fiona Costa

Dr Fiona Costa trained at the Royal College of Music, and her career has since developed across several interwoven areas of research, practice, and community engagement. Following the completion of her PhD—which explored how music can alleviate pain, depression, and anxiety in older people living in residential care—Fi became a research fellow at the University of Roehampton.

Her most recent work, in collaboration with Professor Adam Ockelford, focuses on the role of music in supporting memory and communication in people living with dementia. Together, they have co-authored Take Note: 100 Everyday Musical Ideas for Carers to Use with Older People.

Fiona is also passionate about bringing people of all ages together through music in local communities. She organises monthly intergenerational concerts at St Paul’s, Hammersmith, attended by babies, toddlers, schoolchildren, and adults—including residents from nearby care homes.

In addition to her academic and community work, Fi serves as a trustee of The Amber Trust, which provides musical opportunities for blind and partially sighted children and young people, and of Embracing Age, a Christian charity supporting older people in care homes.

K Reekie
Karen Reekie

Independant Advocate – Women’s Services 

Karen is our independent advocate who works supporting women who need help with accessing services or rights they are entitled to, and admin needs. She works at Kingston and also at our Elmbridge Women’s hub.

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