Sir David Amess

I take a deep breath as I stand on the stage of New York's iconic Town Hall, as the audience looks on in anticipation. This is the legendary Hall for All, where the phrase "not a bad seat in the house" was born. A theatre steeped in history, renowned for championing the suffragette movement, breaking down racial barriers and giving a platform to those whom society had too often marginalised.

Eighteen months ago, I launched a GoFundMe campaign with an ambitious goal: to raise £150,000 to take musicians with learning disabilities to Broadway in honour of my friend, the late Sir David Amess.

If anything good can come out of such an awful tragedy, then it must be that people with learning disabilities, historically overlooked and ignored, will perform on Broadway in Sir David's memory.

On Thursday 20th May 2023, Southend Council bestowed on me the honour of Freeman of the City of Southend - the highest recognition a city can bequeath on an individual. As I entered the Council Chamber, I noticed only one name under the Freeman of the City heading: my friend and Music Man Project President, the late Sir David Amess. Sir David posthumously became the first Freeman of the City after Her Majesty the Queen awarded Southend City Status in 2022. Presenting my scrol

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