Recalling the experience, Mel, 40, who sat in the audience to watch the group’s incredibly moving performance of original track Acceptance, said: “I was really anxious. We knew how brilliant it was, but it’s really exposing being on Britain’s Got Talent in front of four of the biggest judges in the country. We were worried they wouldn’t get it, but they totally did, and the audience’s response was also amazing.”
Electric Umbrella performing on Britain's Got Talent (Photo: ITV)[Missing Credit]
As all the judges had already used their golden buzzers, the group were, at most, hoping to be put through to the next stage, where judges and viewers decide who will go into the semi-finals. “We were managing their expectations on the journey to Blackpool, saying that whatever happened, we would have a wonderful weekend, so when they got the golden buzzer, the performers couldn’t believe it.”
For Mel, who lives in Sarratt, a village near Watford, the win means far more than the possibility of performing at the Royal Variety at the Albert Hall – it is about being able to spread the message of Electric Umbrella, which is to challenge perceptions, break down barriers and create a truly inclusive society, through the power of music.
“People talk about making ‘reasonable adjustments’ for people with learning disabilities, but at Electric Umbrella, we believe in the power of making extraordinary adjustments. We go the extra mile to engage with people, understand them and represent them properly.”
This includes adapting instruments for their members, such as the wheelchair drum kit, which was used by one of the performers on BGT, and made in Electric Umbrella’s own workshop.
“We also have people in the group who are non-verbal, and the challenge is on us to find a way for them to make music.”
Mel says that the values of an inclusive society for all were instilled in her from a young age as her stepfather, Harvey Burman, was the headmaster of the former Delamere Forest School in Cheshire, a Jewish school, which catered for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. As it was residential, Mel and her siblings, who grew up in south Manchester, would often spend Shabbat there.
“We were around kids of a similar age with disabilities and would have Friday night dinners, socialise and watch things like X-Factor together. Because we spent so much time with them, we got to understand them and felt that they were really misrepresented in society and had so much to offer.”
When Mel was a teenager, she helped out after school with a little boy who had ADHD and autism. “He taught me so much about how to engage with people and really understand them. It was an extraordinary relationship, which inspired me to want to help more people like him to engage in arts, and also in life.”
She went on to study for a degree in interactive arts and a master’s in art therapy, and around ten years ago, set up Electric Umbrella with Tom Billington, who is the artistic director.
Mel's son, Stanley, with other Electric Umbrella performers on Britain's Got Talent (Photo: ITV)[Missing Credit]
What started as a music workshop for a small number of people with disabilities, has grown to become “a movement for change”, says Mel, which, every week, sees 200 learning disabled adults using its music studio.
Many of them lead sessions in mainstream and SEND primary schools, reaching around 50,000 children every year.
Some of these pupils formed part of the BGT band, including three of Mel’s own four boys, Felix, 11, Archie, eight, and Stanley, six.
“When we work in SEND schools, the pupils are able to see really positive role models, and in mainstream schools, our work challenges perceptions as the pupils see our students as leaders and rock stars.”
Since its founding, Electric Umbrella has become an integral part of Watford, with its work being championed by its local football club and Robert Voss CBE, Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, who is the charity’s patron.
It has also formed strong links with the Jewish community, taking its work into a number of Jewish schools, including Kisharon Noé School in Hendon, and Mel says that about 10 per cent of its members are Jewish.
“Our data has shown us that faith schools – of all faiths – are the most impacted by Electric Umbrella. This is because the community at Electric Umbrella is so strong. That’s something I really value, having grown up as part of the Jewish community, where shared experiences and rituals are so important,” says Mel, who today is a member of the Miknaf Ha’aretz congregation.
CEOand co-founder of Electric Umbrella Mel Boda and her grandpa, cabaret star Sonny Warner[Missing Credit]
One person Mel would have loved to have been there to watch Cowell hit the golden buzzer was her grandfather, cabaret star Sonny Warner MBE, who raised over £10m for charity before he died in January 2020.
After forming a duet with his wife, Pam, the couple went on to create the famous Sonny Warner Show with their three sons, Brian, Clive and Graeme, becoming famous on the entertainment scene in Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
“I remember going to their home, where they would be rehearsing, and now his legacy is living on through his great-grandchildren, up on [the Britain’s Got Talent] stage.
“He was a big fan of Electric Umbrella, and used to say it was just like the Sonny Warner Show, so I think he would have been speechless.”
Sonny Warner was a huge fan of Electric Umbrella (Photo: Mel Boda)[Missing Credit]
As well as having her grandfather’s much-loved piano in her home, which her children enjoy playing, Mel also treasures video messages from her him, telling her how proud he is of her work with Electric Umbrella.
"Running a charity is really, really hard. There is so much to think about, that you sometimes lose sight of what it’s all for. At times like these, I watch the video of my grandpa, and it keeps me going.”
Mel Boda, CEO and co-founder of Electric Umbrella[Missing Credit]