A special Tauranga choir which helps people find their voices again has made a $1000 donation to a charity close to its heart.

The Brainwave Singers marked Parkinson's Awareness Week by making the donation to the Bay of Plenty Parkinson's Society.

The choir uses singing to improve speech and communication in aphasia (stroke) sufferers and to delay neurological conditions such as Parkinson's.

'The Parkinson's Society has supported us over the years, so this is just giving a little something back,” says choir founder Robin Matthews, a speech and language therapist with the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.

The choir has been going for seven years and has around 70 members.

'The members are so committed to it and just love what they're doing,” says Robin. 'They get so much out of it.”

President of the Bay of Plenty Parkinson's Society, Christine Mercer, thanked the choir for the generous donation, saying the money would go towards the important work carried out by the society's community educators.

'The choir has made an incredible difference to people's ability to project their voice and to help prevent choking, which are both issues with Parkinson's.

'Another element is the tremendous community aspect of the choir, being with like-minded people and understanding each other if you're having an off day. It's so important to so many people.”