Hayley Hazelby

Last summer, the Youth Music team were saddened by the death of our friend and former colleague Hayley Hazelby. So we are celebrating what would have been her 30th birthday with a 'cycle-oke challenge'.

Hayley was taken ill in April 2012, and battled hard with cancer (of a number of organs) for 13 months, before tragically passing away in May last year at the age of 29.

Hayley was an enthusiastic and dedicated colleague who worked for Youth Music for several years. Her bubbly and caring character meant she quickly made and kept strong relationships with staff, grant holders and young people. In the Music Education Development Team she managed two national programmes for young people: a volunteering programme called Voltage, and the Youth Music Mentors programme. Hayley always kept young people at the centre of her work, and worked closely with the national Youth Music Council - supporting young people to be involved in the decisions that affect their lives.

While at Youth Music, Hayley was one of the many members of staff who faced their fears and transformed their commute by getting on two wheels. A cycle with Hayley was punctuated with lighthearted shouts for 'Gregory Green Light' to be on your side. Hayley was also a committed karaoke-er and her rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart was often the first song of the night. Even when she became very ill, when the Sing Star microphone came out, her competitive edge in this discipline was unrelenting.

As Hayley would have been celebrating her 30th birthday on 27th March 2014, we will be gathering on Sunday 30 March to mark the occasion with a 'cycle-oke challenge'. We will cycle 30 miles from her home in Shalford, Surrey into Central London (ok, it's more like 47). We will then sing 30 songs in two hours at karaoke.

During her illness, the non-medical care Hayley received from support services improved her quality of life and galvanised her determination to fight her illness. For this challenge, we'll be securing sponsorship for Youth Music to support music making opportunities for children in hospital, children who find themselves in very scary and unexpected parts of their lives, as Hayley did.

Hayley was dangerously good fun and is dearly missed by all who knew her. We hope this cycle-oke event and the money raised will bring about many more smiles and good memories in her name.

If you'd like to be involved, to cycle, or to sing, to do both, to sponsor us, to spread the word of the challenge, or simply to get in touch please email cycleoke@gmail.com