Community kindness still changes lives, says Joanne Platt, who offers struggling families a lifeline from her packed garage in Gillingham

All the bills have come in at once … your hours have been cut at work … the washing machine breaks just as the heating bill lands. Everyone is watching their spending right now, but for some families it takes just one small thing to trigger a financial crisis. Tucked away on a quiet street in Gillingham, one small garage has become a lifeline for parents caught in that moment. BabyBank Gillingham – a community-run service offering clothes, baby food, nappies and other essentials to local families. And behind it all is just one person – Joanne Platt.
‘It started around two and a half years ago. An item on the news about BabyBank Alliance got my attention. People were donating things up and down the country. I contacted them, and they said at that time there was nothing available between Bath and Bournemouth: a huge area. I thought, why can’t I just do something? So I put a simple post on Facebook, saying that I was thinking of collecting items.
Within days, the messages began. Clothes, toys, cots, baby food – it all poured in.
‘I’d collected for Ukraine before, but this was different,’ she says. ‘I’ve now helped hundreds of families. And the amount of things that people donate continues to surprise me. Sometimes I message people back and ask if it’s OK, as they have donated so much: they always respond “Yes, we love what you do”.
’I think some people put things in the loft and keep putting things in the loft. Then one day they’ll think – I need to sort that out. Because it’s in the loft you can’t see it – so it ends up as years worth of stuff.’

Shelves of kindness
Joanne’s garage is neatly stacked with donations for children from newborn to ten years old: piles of clothes, nappy packs, toothbrushes, picture books, and the odd pushchair or baby walker. Everything is impeccably clean. Unsurprisingly, there is also a fast turnover of items. Nothing stays for long. ‘The most popular things are clothes for toddlers – they grow so fast – and wellies,’ she says. ‘You can tell we’re in North Dorset!’
BabyBank works by people simply messaging Joanne through Facebook. A new mum might need items for a six month old, while another mum is looking to replace a winter coat. Joanne then sets items aside and arranges times for collection.
Health visitors and midwives also refer families to Joanne, and the food bank shares baby supplies with her.
‘I see grandparents, foster families … families right across the board. I get people from Blandford, Yeovil, all the outlying villages. The furthest someone has travelled is from Corfe Castle.
‘It’s for anyone who needs it. There’s no judgement. Sometimes – I know from my own experience – some months, everything comes in at once and you think “Um … I’m a bit stuck”. I do just offer things to people when they come round. A lot of people have now become friends, and I love seeing the children grow up.
‘I think some people are a little bit nervous asking for help – which is a shame. Especially young people. I don’t judge.
‘I do try not to have people here at the same time, so they can get to know me. Some people don’t want to talk much and I have to ask them what they need. Some just take stuff, say thank you and go. But next time they come they are more relaxed. You’re coming to someone’s house, after all. I just want people to feel welcome.’

Paying it forward
Her 24-year-old son, who has disabilities, often helps her sort donations. ‘It’s a good way of recycling too, which many are conscious of now. So many people get bought so much clothing for babies – they just don’t get through it all. And if you’re in need, even the cheap supermarkets aren’t that cheap any more.’
One story sticks out in Joanne’s memory: ‘Not long after I started, a lady messaged me and said she had some donations. When she pulled up with a car full, she said: “We don’t need anything – but our Mum would have loved you.” The family obviously remembered what it was like when they were growing up, and had decided that wherever they went in life they would always give back. They dropped off some beautiful things, but it was her words that stuck with me. If someone does something nice for you, then you return the favour – pay it forward.
‘The kindness and generosity of people is there. Sometimes it can feel like it is missing these days, but it isn’t.’
In the run-up to Christmas, Joanne’s work only grows.
‘People often ask what they can donate – nappies, wipes and toothbrushes are always needed. If I put a video on Facebook I’ll get 3,000 views, and people can pick what they want from it. I started putting out winter coats in June because I realised people were looking forward and thinking about what they would need in the colder months.
‘This is something I really enjoy doing. And for the foodbank to give me so much … that helps so much, it’s wonderful.’
For now, the garage remains the perfect base. ‘If I had a commercial unit, it’d mean travelling and more expense,’ Joanne says. ‘Here, it’s easy. I can just get on with it.’
One day Joanne would like to make BabyBank Gillingham a registered charity – but she realises there’s a lot of work involved in setting it up. Instead, she’s focused on keeping the garage shelves stocked – and responding to the next message from a family in need.

Find BabyBank Gillingham Dorset on Facebook

With his joyful, no-audition ROKiT choir, Mark James invites everyone to ditch the sheet music and discover the power of easy, communal, feel-good singing

When ROKiT staged its summer concert at The Exchange this year, 90 singers squeezed onto the stage and 300 people filled the seats. It sold out fast. This wasn’t a traditional choir; it was looser, warmer, more fun. And now Stur is getting its own chance: the fourth ROKiT choir opens in the town on Monday 6th January.
ROKiT is the creation of Mark James, a trained musical theatre performer and qualified singing teacher, whose route into music has been anything but straightforward. ‘I was the person at school who was told not to bother with music,’ he says. ‘It wasn’t my thing, apparently.’

He ignored the advice. Mark began teaching from home, later opening his own music school in 2014. He trained through the Voice College, gaining an upper merit diploma and a nomination for the PJ Proby Student of the Year award. Since then he has taught hundreds of students, including gold record selling artists, across the UK, Europe and the USA. He has worked as a master vocal coach for River Studio in Southampton as well as the preferred coach for Evolved Artist Management. In 2018 he appeared as one of the 100 judges on BBC One’s All Together Now with Geri Halliwell and Rob Beckett. His trademark hat made him a recognisable presence on the show – ‘people kept asking who the man in the hat was,’ he says – and after the series ended, he wanted to use the momentum for something closer to home. ‘I wanted to do something a bit more modern,’ he says. ‘There wasn’t a huge amount of choice in the area. And I’ve always been someone that wants to give access to music to everyone. Music can feel a bit elitist these days, and all the fun seems to have gone.’

ROKiT was built deliberately to cut against that. No auditions, no sheet music, no barriers.
‘Members don’t need to read music,’ he says. ‘It’s all done through lyrics. Everything’s done on a backing track – and we share all the tracks on the ROKiT drive. People can learn at home, and then they all get together.’
On the very first night in Gillingham, back in September 2018, 44 people walked through the door. ‘Numbers always drop slightly in the first few weeks,’ Mark says. ‘But we ended up with around 30 regulars.’ Blandford followed, then Wincanton, and now there are more than 130 singers across the groups. ‘They’re all a good bunch,’ he says. ‘They all get on really, really well.’

You’re just ROKiT
ROKiT’s social side is as important as the music, says Mark: ‘We don’t put pressure on anyone,’ he says. ‘We don’t have set solos. And there’s no cliques – which I’m really proud of. As soon as someone walks through the door, they’re just part of the choir.’
He’s seen people join at difficult points in their lives and find something steady and supportive.
‘We’ve had people come in who’ve been through breakups,’ he says. ‘And it helps them build their friendship groups again. We’ve had relationships start here as well.’
There have been harder moments of grief, too. ‘We’ve unfortunately lost some of our members,’ he says. ‘But everyone supports each other, going through it together. And it’s not just “Blandford looking after Blandford”, or “Gillingham looking after Gillingham” – everyone knows everyone, across all three choirs.
‘Once you’re a member of ROKiT, you’re not a “Blandford member” or a “Gillingham member”. You’re just ROKiT.’

That sense of belonging aligns neatly with what science has shown repeatedly: group singing lowers stress hormones, boosts mood, steadies breathing and builds social connection. For many people it’s as effective as a therapy session. Mark sees it weekly. ‘Some people just need to come and blast out a song,’ he says. ‘It relieves the stress. And that’s absolutely fine.’
Mark keeps the choir deliberately affordable. Membership is £35 a year – which covers T-shirts and access to the online learning tracks – and rehearsals cost £7 a night on a pay-as-you-go basis. ‘Times are quite hard for a lot of people,’ Mark says. ‘The last thing I want is someone worrying about whether they can afford next month. They’ve got friendship groups here. Some people need to be here.’

Ray Charles to Radiohead
The ages range from teenagers to people in their 80s or 90s. Men were scarce at first. ‘We had just one man originally,’ Mark says. ‘He used to call it his harem!’
Now there are growing tenor sections at all the groups.
The repertoire covers Queen (Bohemian Rhapsody took four months to learn), Ray Charles, Robbie Williams, The Monkees, Snow Patrol, Radiohead … ‘They do Creep really, really well,’ Mark says with clear pride.
ROKiT has also swiftly become a familiar part of the local Christmas season. ‘We’ve had to turn down quite a few requests this year, because so many asked us to perform,’ he says. The choirs support charity events too – raising around £15,000 so far. ‘We don’t have one charity, we raise for lots of causes. One close to all our hearts is CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), in memory of one of our original choir members. She was only 52 when she had a major heart attack.
‘We’ve supported the Ukraine appeal and earthquake appeals, Brave & Determined Co, Air Ambulance … We try to support as many as possible,’ Mark says.
From 5th January, Sturminster Newton’s own ROKiT choir will meet every Monday at 7.30 at the town hall. As always, anyone can join – no experience, no auditions, no pressure.
‘Just turn up on the night,’ Mark says. ‘Rock up and rock it.’
It’s a cheering thought for the dark nights of winter: a roomful of strangers, gathered on a Monday evening, lifting the roof together.

rokitchoir.com