Valentine Voice Care - Giving Lewes back its voice
A brand new multi discipline treatment centre dedicated to the rehabilitation, strengthening and nurturing of voice has been opened in Lewes, East Sussex by renowned Opera Singer Kate Valentine.
Kate tells Let’s Do Business Group about the journey to opening the centre and the importance of taking care of your voice.
As a professional singer, Kate Valentine understood the struggles that voice artists experience when suffering vocal injury or fatigue. For many, whether they use their voice for their profession or as a hobby, it makes up a huge part of their identity, and losing it leads to a huge feeling of loss and loneliness. Having suffered a vocal injury herself, Kate knows just how difficult it can be both physically and mentally to rebuild yourself following vocal trauma.
“I rebuilt myself from scratch after my vocal cord surgery in order to be able to start singing again, so I know firsthand how challenging it is as an artist to find yourself in that situation. I wanted to prevent other people going through similar journeys as well as create a space to help maintain voices so that they can continue to do the jobs that they love. The stakes are high for a lot of these people, their livelihood depends on it”
Speech Sanctuary
Setting up in The Old Coach House in Castle Ditch Lane, Lewes, Valentine Voice Care provides access to 15 practitioners of varying disciplines, but all focussed on vocal improvement and rehabilitation. The first centre of its kind, it intends not only to bring the entertainment community together, but also provide a sanctuary where users can rehearse, refresh skills, and most importantly rest.
“Most of our clients are professional voice users, so singers, actors, presenters, and voiceover artists, but we also see a lot of other professionals such as teachers, and barristers. We can help anyone who depends on their voice for their job, which is in reality is most people.”
A real one stop shop of support, the centre offers physical therapy such as: singing teachers, singing voice rehabilitation specialists, vocal massage, osteopathy, voice, speech and language therapists, and a Feldenkrais practitioner, but also seeks to support psychologically offering a type of vocal health triage, nutritionist, performance psychologist, life coach and a counsellor. Kate and her team, many of whom are performers themselves, recognise that voice can be so intrinsically linked from a psychological point of view, and therefore take a very person centred, holistic approach to their offering, ensuring all bases are covered, and that clients can find everything they need all under the one roof.
“This type of support is so important to people in this industry, yet it just doesn’t seem to exist. Suffering from vocal injury can be so lonely and frightening, it effects people both physically and mentally. Professional athletes have whole teams of people looking after them, but somehow, because singing is seen as a natural thing, you are just expected to get over any issues you have, and not talk about it. I don’t think that is right, so I’ve fought to create a provision for those artists”
The centre also seeks to provide support to the growing Trans community. Hugely underserved and vulnerable, the centre can help with transitioning voice. With NHS waiting lists over a year long, trans-men and trans-women can seek speech therapy with a specialist practitioner.
The centre’s facilities don’t stop there. Wanting to bring together this community, and create a safe haven, it also offers a comprehensive music studio, where guests can have singing lessons, or utilise the space for rehearsals and practice. Being located so close to Opera House Glyndebourne, as well as just a few miles from the theatre district Devonshire Quarter in Eastbourne, Kate wanted to create a retreat where performers could go to practice, talk through problems, and receive treatment where needed; somewhere where they felt heard, understood and supported.
Reaching the high notes
Starting this new venture was no mean feat, needing funding, direction and a lot of time and energy. Kate has undeniably invested every inch of herself into this project, juggling the renovation of the space and promotion of the centre alongside her full-time job. Having secured a loan to get the ball rolling, she simply didn’t have the time to focus and dedicate to planning for the centre’s future growth and development. Hearing from a friend about a support programme that helps businesses in East Sussex, a quick Google led her to Let’s Do Business Group. Talking to Business Manager Rupert Kirby, Kate was then referred onto Business Support Programme Locate East Sussex, where she could access 12 hours of fully funded business support.
“Rupert was an absolute pip. We had a lovely chat, and he was so enthusiastic about the project.”
Going up an Octave
Now really taking off, Kate has her sights on the next stage of the project, looking to develop the roof terrace of the building. Overlooking Lewes Castle, it provides the perfect backdrop for relaxation, a sanctuary where guests can read, unwind, or simply take in the scenery with a cup of tea. It could also be the ideal location for future events, reinforcing the mission to bring the community together.
She also plans to open a small shop within the centre. Offering voice focussed products, this will allow users to purchase the products often recommended by the practitioners, ensuring that they leave the centre with everything they need to complete their treatment programme.
The new year will also see the introduction of workshops at the centre on topics such as ‘how to get over a cold’. Kate hopes that these will open up the centre to the wider community, making them aware of the services offered and how it can benefit even those outside of the professional singer industry.
“I want to make sure that the community knows we are here for everyone. I recently placed some cards at the local train station and an elderly gentleman rang up. He told me he had had three surgeries on his voice and he doesn’t feel like he’s ever met anyone who understands or has listened to what he’s been going through. He used to do impressions and make people laugh, and that was a huge part of his identity, and without that, he feels lost. He was just a man in our local community, and it’s people like him that we want to be able to help and give some peace.”
As time goes on, Kate has been upping her promotional activity and outside interest has begun to grow. Utilising her connections within the industry she has already been active on several podcasts, and has several features lined up for the new year. Her Instagram channel ‘Valentine Voice Care’ has also begun to get traction, generating interest from performers from London and further afield who recognise the desperate need for a service of this kind, and are willing to travel to access it.
Kate’s passion for music and the industry is clear, and is something that has been with her since she was a small child. She recognises that singing is a big part of many people, reaching all the way down into their soul, and defining who they are as a person. Redefining herself following her injury, she has taken her passion, and invested it into nurturing others, supporting them to be the best they can be, and aiding recovery when things don’t go quite to plan. She is a true expert in her field, and we wish her all the best for what’s next to come.
If you would like to find out more about Valentine Voice Care please contact Kate through her Instagram channel or via email on info@valentinevoicecare.com. The website http://valentinevoicecare.com will also be launched soon.
“I think that everyone deserves and needs to have a voice and whatever shape or form that takes, we need to be able to communicate our feelings and our personalities and their place in the world. When you don’t have that, it’s incredibly lonely. There are people for whom that’s their day to day and, we need to recognize that and help people to be able to communicate freely.”
