Hopefully by now you’ve caught Bobby Baker’s first 90 second PUSH ME film? If not – where have you been?

You’ll see that she is deep in conversation with people – laughing, listening and having those all important cups of tea. But just who is it she is talking with?

The first film was shot in Newcastle, near where Bobby’s family came from, with a fantastic group called the Streetwise Choir. They are part of the national Streetwise Opera, who use music as a tool to help people who have experienced homelessness move forwards in their lives. Streetwise describe themselves as providing:

‘a place to sing, to act, have fun and show everyone that personal circumstances are no barrier to great achievement’.

When we were filming the choir were rehearsing for a huge show in London called ‘With One Voice’ where all the different Streetwise groups in the UK came together, along with other projects working with homeless and ex-homeless people from all over the UK and abroad. It total the evening included over 300 performers who have experienced homelessness – all at the Royal Opera House for the first time. With One Voice is inspired by Homeless Link and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation who wanted to ensure that homeless people were involved at the heart of London 2012, the first time this has happened in Olympic history.

Streetwise is a fantastic project – and the North East group gave us an incredibly warm welcome so we wanted to let you know more about them. And here is a great way to do just that – the BBC Radio 4 Charity Appeal will feature Streetwise Opera this Sunday 19 August at 07.55 and 21.16 (and then available here). Matt Peacock, who started the project and Pamela Cooke who is one of their members recorded the programme at Broadcasting House where Pam talked movingly about how Streetwise has changed her life.

If Pamela is anything like the people we met in Newcastle, she’ll be well worth listening to.