OHMI welcomes Emma Brown to its Board of Trustees

We are delighted to announce that Emma Brown is one of three new trustees to join the OHMI Board.

Aged only 22, Emma is our youngest trustee. A talented flautist, she is due to start her Masters in Flute Performance at Birmingham Conservatoire in the autumn. It is an academic ambition that was deferred for a year, following a life-changing injury in May 2021 which resulted in a bilateral amputation below the knee.
 
Whilst undergoing rehabilitation at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton, it struck Emma that almost all the activities suggested to amputees were sports related. Her experiences led her to set up her network, Amputee Musicians UK, which aims to connect people with limb difference or loss who love either playing or listening to music.
 
As Emma points out,
 
“I wasn’t sporty with feet, so why should I be sporty without?! It was music I relied on during my recovery – either listening to it or playing the piano (my injury forced me to rely on the pedals less and play better!)

“As a flautist, it was frustrating that I was unable to play at that time. I was in a neck brace for some five months which gave me a real insight into how it feels to have an injury or disability that prevents music-making.”

Joining the Board at OHMI seemed a natural fit.
Dr Stephen Hetherington, OHMI’s Chairman, comments,
“Emma has an indomitable spirit. She tackles every challenge with vigour, determination and ingenuity. Returning to her studies in Birmingham (OHMI’s home city) after a gap year canoeing, cycling, working with autistic adults, teaching the flute, and setting up her network, Amputee Musicians UK, we are really fortunate to have her energy directed towards OHMI’s challenges”.
 
All at OHMI extend their warmest welcome to Emma.
 
The article on fellow new trustees Claire Salters and Matthew Wright be accessed on OHMI’s News page. 
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