Gillian Baxter – Rock Choir Stroud
For Gillian Baxter, finding Rock Choir again was far more than returning to singing. It became an important turning point after a long and difficult chapter in her life.
Back in 2011, Gillian experienced a mental breakdown after years of working in a highly stressful role within the NHS. Burnt out and overwhelmed, she had no choice but to step away from the job she had held for seven years. At the same time she was raising a young family while navigating life as part of a military household, regularly moving around the country and overseas.
For a long time afterwards she carried a deep sense of disappointment in herself, feeling she had somehow let her children down. In time, however, her perspective began to shift. She realised that sometimes life does not go the way you want or need it to, but how you pick yourself up afterwards is what really matters.
Life overseas and searching for something missing
Not long after this difficult period, Gillian’s husband was offered a NATO role which meant the family would move overseas to Munich. Their two older children remained in the UK while studying, and although the family travelled back and forth to spend time together, adjusting to life abroad took time.
Gillian threw herself into community life while living there. She became involved with the Wives Club and eventually ran it, helping others settle into a new country and build friendships. Being a people person, she enjoyed supporting others and creating a welcoming environment for families who had also left loved ones behind.
Even with a busy life in Munich over five and a half years, something still felt missing.
After returning to the UK, Gillian also faced health challenges when she developed an autoimmune condition. Eventually her husband left the services after 31 years and the couple began a new chapter together, finally finding their own home near Stroud after decades of military life.
Finding Rock Choir again
Along the way Gillian had continued trying to reconnect with singing. It was something she loved, but she had not yet found the place that truly felt right.
Then one day she remembered Rock Choir, which she had briefly tried years earlier while living in High Wycombe before the move overseas.
Curious, she searched online to see if there might be a choir nearby.
When she discovered there was a Rock Choir rehearsing locally on a Thursday evening, the feeling came back immediately. She booked a taster session at Marling School and walked through the doors with butterflies in her stomach.
From the moment she arrived, something felt different.
A warm welcome in Stroud
Gillian remembers being greeted by two friendly members, Allison and Mags, who immediately made her feel comfortable and welcome. She took her place in the soprano section and began chatting with the women around her, who shared stories about their experiences with Rock Choir.
Choir Leader Alex Hawker led the rehearsal that evening, and everything about it clicked straight away. The group began learning “Angels” by Robbie Williams and Gillian found herself completely absorbed in the session.
“I signed up the very next day and couldn’t wait to come the following week… and then every week after.”
Week by week, as friendships formed and rehearsals became part of her routine, Gillian began to feel something shifting inside her.
Finding the “old Gillian” again
With each rehearsal she felt stronger and more confident. The joy of singing started to bring back a version of herself she had not felt for many years.
She describes it as finding the “old Gillian” again, something she says she had not felt for nearly a decade.
Choir Leader Alex Hawker played an important role in that journey. While he often says he simply teaches people to sing, Gillian believes the experience goes much deeper than that. The encouragement, the music and the friendships helped her rebuild her confidence.
After two years with the Stroud choir, Gillian felt ready to challenge herself again and return to work, something she once believed would never be possible.
A new chapter begins
Instead of returning to her previous career as a PA, Gillian wanted a role where she could work with people again. When she saw a receptionist position advertised at David Lloyd, she pushed aside her doubts and applied.
Despite battling imposter syndrome, she attended the recruitment day and later returned for a second interview. Competing against more than one hundred applicants, Gillian was offered the role.
Today she has been working there for two years and says she finally feels like herself again.
“I’ve found the old Gillian for sure.”
The joy of Thursday nights
Now a proud member of Alex Hawker’s Stroud choir, Gillian treasures the friendships she has built both within the group and across the wider choirs they perform alongside at gigs.
Those friendships have helped bring a sense of peace and belonging back into her life.
When she walks into the rehearsal room on a Thursday evening, she says the feeling is unmistakable.
“The buzz I feel from catching up with friends from start to finish is real and true and brings me such happiness.”
And once the singing begins, everything else fades away.
“When we start to warm up our voices, I am transported away from any troubles I may currently be experiencing… it’s truly therapeutic.”
She leaves each rehearsal feeling uplifted, energised and already looking forward to the following week.
