THE south London saxophonist and flautist, Tori Freestone, comes from a long line of Thames watermen going back to the 18th century. Her father is an ex-merchant seaman and lover of marine folk songs and shanties.

She speaks proudly of her great uncle on her mother’s side, the Welsh-born miner, trade unionist and communist, Idris Williams — Somme veteran and one-time member of the Mountain Ash male voice choir, who emigrated to Wonthaggi, Australia in 1920, and led the historic five month miners’ strike in 1934, while also being an active choral singer, brass band conductor and chair of the Miners Union theatre: an astonishing all-rounder. “He travelled around Australia with my grandfather Thomas, performing in community centres,” says Tori.