WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY, UK — It was a near-death experience that led to Garry Jones retiring from his high-powered job at Warwickshire County Council to start up one of the UK’s biggest boys choir.
The 64-year-old from Warwick suffered heart failure while out jogging but, luckily, collapsed in front of an off-duty paramedic who rushed to his rescue.
On his road to recovery he made the life-changing decision to eventually ditch his day job as director of the county council’s music service and focus full-time on developing his group, the Warwickshire County Boys Choir for youngsters aged between eight and 13.
Now the boys are taking part in the semi-finals of the UK’s largest amateur singing competition, the Choir of The Year contest, in Birmingham on Saturday.
“It’s a great achievement,” he said. “We are in the position of establishing a boys’ choir that will last and be nationally recognised.”
Mr Jones’s dream to form his own choir came true in March 2008. But to make it happen he realised he had to give up his high-powered position at the council.
“I was in charge of around 180 staff at Warwickshire County Council and was also an Ofsted inspector,” he explained. “I realised I couldn’t really do both as the choir was taking up so much time.”
It was that morning’s jogging session five years ago that led him to change his life.
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