Lockdown, as awful as it was, may have had a few silver linings and that was certainly the case for singer Sarah Hawkyard and her relationship with her home of Overton.
Sarah Hawkyard will be well known to many readers as a terrific singer and marvellous musician and a local for the past three years.
Although Sarah tells CommunityAd “the first 18 months I was commuting a lot between London and Overton, but lockdown put an end to that and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying being able to establish some roots in Overton. I think community living is really important and my rather nomadic life often hinders that”.
Sarah lives close to the River Test which like everything in Overton she absolutely adores; “this amazing river is a huge part of Overton’s charm, I think. Wherever there’s a bridge there are always a few people looking at the fish and feeding the ducks. I’m definitely going to have to use the river in one of my music videos one day!
“I also think the high street is extremely charming; having a local greengrocer and butcher is something that gives me great joy, not only because it means local produce but because the owners are so friendly and kind. The same applies to the other small shops and businesses on the high street, they are full of charm and run by such lovely people. There’s something integral to the homeliness of a place that comes from recognising the people who run the shops and cafes and being recognised by them. Overton has that in buckets! It has taken me a while to start getting to know people, because my life is often nomadic, but the more I get to know people, the happier I am here in Overton.”
The community spirit here really is second to none, isn’t it? Which was showcased last year with the light up Overton, wasn’t it?*
“Yes, I can’t believe how good the community spirit is here! Perfectly exemplified by Light up Overton from last year. I was fortunate to be approached by Emma to ask if I would sing and play on the Facebook page during lockdown, and the spirit that was present during the evening was just magical.
“So many people came together, so many people took joy in other people’s joy, they supported and cheered each other’s comments. Even though we couldn’t be together physically I felt very close to the community and was so impressed by the spirit. I can’t wait for this year’s Light up Overton which hopefully can be done live and in the flesh!
“Additionally to Light Up Overton, I have to mention here the wonders that Ginnie Cates did for Overton’s community spirit last year as well. Sometimes it just takes someone’s initiative to ignite a community spirit that blows you away. There were dozens or even hundreds of street volunteers checking up on the needy on each street in the entire village during the lockdown! People who couldn’t afford food all of a sudden due to COVID were looked after and provided for. It wasn’t a one-man band either, there were many people and businesses supporting this initiative ‘Overton Cares’, enabling it to thrive. A wonderful example of the community spirit here.”
Sarah’s name might be very well known in churches all over the land soon as she tells us about her new album.
“I’m very excited to be releasing music again after a 4-year break. I like asking the big questions in life, so the inspiration behind ‘’Who is Guiding You?’’ really came down to the big question of ‘is there something bigger than us out there?’. Four years ago, I was performing in the Savoy in London and a very charming man came up to me and we had a chat afterwards. He said that my style of music would go down really well at a large convention he was hosting in NASHVILLE the following year! Blimey, I thought, and was already rubbing my hands in glee of the excitement of performing in Nashville. Then he said it was a Christian event, which put a slight dampener on it as I wasn’t very Christian.
“Nevertheless, I learned some Christian songs for the event, was still super excited, and used the time over there to ask a lot of questions. Then very slowly I became a proper convert! So now, the inspiration behind my music is faith. This first single asks the fundamental question, ‘is there a God?’. The next single ‘Have Peace’ aims to bring the listener the peace that comes from understanding how loved you are.”
Head to Sarah Hawkyard’s website and buy an album and follow her on Twitter @SarahHawkyard to find out where she’s performing next!