Hi there! 

 

Apologies that you haven't heard from us for a few months, the choir has been very busy since our last newsletter with performances at UK Care Week, Volunteero Summit, Easter Concert, a Nursing Conference, QMC hospital, several performances during Dementia Awareness Week including the Alzheimer's Society Conference and visiting care homes for singalongs with their residents to name just a few of our activities!

 

The rest of May & June looks set to be our busiest yet with a Dementia Marketplace, Summer Concert, a garden party to sing with the Miltary Wives Choir, singing with Sam Bailey at Binx Yard, and a performance at Mansfield Carnival!

 

We are giving the choir a well-deserved pamper day to thank them for all their hard work and dedication with a Bannatyne Spa day to rest, recuperate and get pampered.

 

We will keep you updated about all of our activities via our social media channels and our website. You can now check out our upcoming events that are open to the public and purchase tickets here: Upcoming Events | Our Dementia Choir

In Memory of Our Choir Members

 

It is with great sadness that we have had to say goodbye to three of our choir members that have recently passed away.

Your support will help us continue to spread our message and invite more people living with Dementia to join us. Our rehearsals and performances give our members and their carers a much-needed well-being boost, making them genuinely experience moments of joy.

 

We've had some amazing donations and fundraising achievements and would like to thank a few of our supporters and friends of Our Dementia Choir below.

 

Easter Concert 2023

Fundraising at our Easter concert wouldn't have been possible without the support of the

  • YMCA

  • Mark Dennison

  • The Red Hot Band

  • Karen Smalley

  • Raffle prize donors

 

Thank you to everyone who supported us, we raised over £2,000!

 

Fundraisers

St Robert’s Catholic Primary School raised £230 in their school raffle.

 

Candlestick Press donated £239 from their sales of Christmas Together.

 

Martyn Cheatle raised £833 cycling around the Isle of Wight

 

Jane Thedham raised £325 through a birthday fundraiser and collecting donations in memory of her dad and mother in law.

 

Carers Pamper Days 

Matt Fry funded more carers pamper days, giving our carers a rest and the chance to set a well-being action plan during a 1:1 coaching session.

 

Education Mutual arranged for Lesley Calland to attend our carers pamper days to provide each attendee with 1:1 coaching and well-being support.

 

Debbie Simpkins and the team at Unique by D&G and Hannah at Heavenly Beautie provided all of the treatments.

 

Ongoing Supporters

Portland College provides regular rehearsal space and a fantastic buffet lunch for all the carers, choir members, and crew.

 

James Scisciani purchased tickets for people from a local charity to attend our Easter Concert and has donated £900 for us to purchase a defibrillator to add to our first aid kit- we've named the defib Jimmy!!

 

In Loving Memory

Thank you to all the families who chose to raise money for the choir in memory of their loved ones:

Heather Walker

Lisa Monks

Pat Marshall

John Lawton

John Utteridge

 

Thank you to everyone that has made donations at our performances and on our just giving page, we couldn't continue without your support.

Vicky's Birthday and Book!

 

Our Dementia Choir's Founder and Chair, Vicky McClure has been extremely busy filming this year and we are missing her amazing energy, positive attitude and huge love that she always has for her choir family. We can't wait to see her again soon as we know she's missing us just as much!

 

She's also written and published her very first children's book- the Castle Rock Mystery Crew inspired by her caravan holidays as a child growing up. The story follows 10-year-old Jase, who is spending the summer holidays at the Castle Rock caravan park with his auntie and grandma, who has dementia.

 

Vicky has also celebrated the big 40! We would like you to join us in wishing her a very happy belated birthday and if you can spare a a few pounds, please donate to her birthday fundraiser as all proceeds will be split between Our Dementia Choir and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Donate to Vicky's Birthday Fundraiser

Corporate Donor

We can't thank Monica Vinader enough, for making a huge donation from their Root Hoops fundraiser. They are donating £10,000 from their sales between 22 March and 21 April.

Visit Monica Vinader's website

Highlights from our Easter Concert

 

Our Easter Concert was a huge success and BBC Radio Nottingham presenter Mark Dennison was a fabulous host. We raised a huge £2298.76!! Without our amazing supporters, none of what we do would be possible so a massive thank you to each and every one of you! We had a lovely rehearsal beforehand with a drumming workshop with Andy from the Power of Drums. And, we even had a visit from the Easter Bunny!

IT'S AUCTION TIME! For your chance to go to see Man City V Man United in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on 3rd June in Club Wembley Hospitality, all you have to do is be the highest bidder when the bidding closes on Sunday 28th May!

 

It really is going to be a game not to miss!

 

These tickets were kindly donated by Les Marshall, Our Dementia Choir Trustee

Bid Now!

Support Jackie's Camino de Santiago

500-mile trek!

 

Jackie’s story is one of great sadness, one that is happening far too often, and one that inspires us to continue our journey as a charity spreading the power of music and awareness of dementia.

 

Jackie’s mum was sadly diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2019. Jackie helped her parents relocate in 2020 so that they could be closer and so that she could support both her mum and her dad during such difficult times.

 

Jackie’s mum has always said "Where there’s life, there is hope" which resonates so strongly with the phrase we use here at Our Dementia Choir "Where memory fails, music breathes life".

 

Jackie received a ukulele for Christmas in 2020 and began to play. Although she admits to not being the greatest, she continued to practise and, most importantly, soon noticed that her mum would sing word for word to the songs she would play!

 

Again, evidence that shows music can breathe life, ignite our senses, and have incredible power proves people with dementia can still achieve something truly remarkable.

 

Speaking of remarkable, In May this year, Jackie took on the challenge of taking herself off to France and Spain to walk the Camino Frances—the Way of St. James—a 500-mile trek!

 

What an extraordinary achievement! Jackie is one of our biggest fundraisers this year, and the money that has been raised so far, is able to fund three rehearsals, buy five choir uniforms, fund two visits to local care homes to perform for residents, and buy 10 tickets to our performances for vulnerable people. Amazing!

 

Selfless, fearless, and charitable, we want to thank, from the bottom of our hearts, Jackie so much for her momentous contribution to our charity, both through fundraising and the motivation it has given us to continue to showcase the power of music.

 

We are a self-funded charity that relies solely on donations and the goodwill of people fundraising and making donations, as we don’t get funding from anywhere else.

 

So again, thank you so much Jackie, your contribution, and your support means the world to us!

 

Jackie is currently on her momentous journey, please help her to raise as many funds as possible to help Our Dementia Choir.

 

Make a donation to support Jackie
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Team Oar Blimey is aiming to raise £250,000 by rowing 3,500 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to help people live with dementia. George Nelson and Russ Davis are setting off from Portugal in December 2023 with expectations of arriving on the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten after 90 days at sea.

 

To reach their £250,000 fundraising target, they need help from generous people like you!

 

You can play a part in helping people to live with dementia by supporting Team Oar Blimey which is fundraising for Nottinghamshire’s Our Dementia Choir and Ladybrook Enterprises Help at Hand charities.

 

They are looking for donations of money, gifts for fundraising activity prizes, and some general help with their equipment needs.

 

Cash donations can be made via their website donations page and other donations can be sent directly to Oar Blimey.

 

In return for your help, they will publicly acknowledge your generosity. You’ll get a mention on their website supporters list and a shout-out on their social media channels. You can follow their progress at www.oarblimey.co.uk and on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter social media channels.

 

If you want to get further involved with their Atlantic Challenge campaign, there are exclusive sponsorship and partnership opportunities available. Please contact us to find out more about our packages. If you can help in any other way, they would love to hear from you. 

 

We are excited to bring you this special art sale event that will support Our Dementia Choir with our aim to improve the lives of people affected by dementia through music.

 

The art sale organized by Mandy Zhang will take place from June 1st to June 11th, with a launching event on June 1st at Iconic Images | Fine-Art Photography (iconicimagesgallery.com) The artists from across Asia are all recent graduates of leading London art schools including the Royal College of Art and Chelsea School of Art.

 

Following the Sale on Thursday 1 June, works will be available to buy online at www.mandyzhang.art until the 11th of June.

 

Not only will you be able to purchase one-of-a-kind artwork, but your purchase will also support a great cause. All the profits from the sale will go directly to Our Dementia Choir, so you can feel good about making a difference with your purchase.

 

We invite you to join us and spread the word about this important cause to your friends and family. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those affected by dementia.

We've got some VERY exciting news to share with you all! Introducing our host and compère for the Summer Concert, 3rd June at Southwell Minster .. the one and only John Bishop!! It really is going to be such an amazing evening. Tickets are now SOLD OUT! A massive thank you to the wonderful John and we can’t wait to share the power of Our Dementia Choir with you all!

 

If you didn't get the chance to buy tickets for this one, don't worry we have lots more exciting events coming up. Keep an eye on our blog and social media channels to get tickets as soon as they are released.

Buy your ticket now

Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising free donations for Our Dementia Choir with easyfundraising?

 

There are over 7,000 brands on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.

 

All you need to do is:

 

1. Go to our Easyfundraising page and join for free.

 

2. Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.

 

3. After you’ve checked out, the brand will make a donation to Our Dementia Choir at no extra cost to you whatsoever!

 

There are no catches or hidden charges and Our Dementia Choir will be really grateful for your donations.

 

Thank you so much for your support, we appreciate you every single day.

​

Lecanemab Drug for Dementia

 

There has been lots of media coverage about the new Lecanemab drug, hailed as a momentous development for Dementia Care. Sadly it only works in the early stages of the disease and therefore may be too late for lots of people that have been suffering for a longer period of time. There have been calls for more early diagnosis of the disease so that more people can benefit from the new drug.

 

Read more in the articles below:

Alzheimer's drug lecanemab hailed as momentous breakthrough - BBC News

Mansfield family 'holds onto hope' for dad in wake of Alzheimer's drug breakthrough

The wife of a Bilsthorpe dad with Alzheimer’s said she has mixed emotions over a research breakthrough which has proven to delay early progression of the disease.

 

Featured Trustee- Ajay Sethi

Ajay is the Managing Director and shareholder of Tweezerman UK, supplier of Tweezerman and TRUU branded Beauty Tools. Subsidiary and Joint Venture of the Zwilling Beauty Group/Werhahn (privately owned German group). Tweezerman UK is based in Edwalton, Nottingham with 19 employees, and a turnover of £8.3m. Ajay started his business from his bedroom in July 2004. 

 

Ajay appeared as a guest on Chris Evan's breakfast show on Virgin Radio and gave the choir a shout-out to raise awareness of our cause and the work we do to provide music therapy to people living with Dementia.

 

Ajay explained what a wonderful charity Our Dementia Choir is and that everyone in the charity is amazing! We think Ajay is amazing for supporting the choir and allowing his staff at Tweezerman UK to volunteer with us on a regular basis.

 

Oral History Interviews with Our Dementia Choir

Some of our choir members, Chris Connell, Julie Hill, Ahmed Pochee were delighted to be interviewed as part of the Theatre Royal Nottingham's Oral History Project.

 

Listen to Part 1

Listen to Part 2

Listen to Part 3

The Forget Me Notes Project

 

The Forget Me Notes Project is a charity that uses music to build community and combat isolation in a variety of settings.

 

In all of their work, they aim to use music to build an inclusive community of warmth, openness and understanding, and to build environments where self-expression is encouraged and welcomed. They are a project that is built upon dementia-friendly values and is open to all, seeking to provide environments that are purposeful, supportive, accepting, empathic, secure, celebratory, and encouraging of self-awareness and achievement.

 

They have produced a video to give you a better idea about who they are and the great work they are doing to promote the power of music.

 

Click here to watch the video
Download Our Charity Single- What's Your Story?

We're delighted to support other causes

"As each deadline of my Quizzes approaches, I am always on the lookout for somebody quite unique to ask to make the Draw from the large pile of correct entries, to find our 4 Winners. This year, I met with Karen Bonser & BAFTA Award Winner Vicky McClure of one of the many local projects that we plan to support… Our Dementia Choir.

 

I am very proud that we will be donating £3,905 to the Nottingham Branch of ChildLine from all those generous entrants from our Annual Quiz. I am always amazed with your generosity and the completion of Gift Aid forms for what is simply, a Quiz… that seems to bring so much enjoyment and frustration. Every call to ChildLine costs £4 to answer and your donations will make a huge difference to the lives of 976 vulnerable children!" Jonathan Hammond M.B.E.

Young Dementia Network 

The Young Dementia Network is a community of people living with young onset dementia, their family and friends, as well as professionals who work in the field of health and social care and the voluntary sector. They are a collaborative network, an influencing community, seeking to improve lives through campaigning and empowering people with knowledge and information. They plan to bring about significant change that will have a lasting benefit in the future by offering networking opportunities, webinars, e-newsletters and links to research studies.

Learn more here

An opportunity to take part in a research study exploring people’s experience of the early stages of dementia

 

Project title: Understanding Experiences of Dementia

 

This research is about older people who are experiencing problems with their memory. The research team want to find out what matters to people living with memory problems or dementia when seeking a diagnosis or looking for help and support. We would like to explore your thoughts and feelings about having assessments or diagnosis and whether you found the support you were looking for. 

 

At the end of the research, the team will use what we find to create a new section for a website called Socialcaretalk.org. The new section will help people learn from other people’s experiences of dementia. The website can also be used to train health and care workers and service providers and to help social care educators teach their students about what matters to people living with dementia.

 

What will it involve?

This study will involve talking to a researcher about your experiences of living with early-stage dementia. If you would like to take part, the researcher will come to interview you at your home or online if you prefer. They will record or film your conversation. We will ask for your permission to publish the clips from the recording on the website, Socialcaretalk. After the interview, you will be given a £20 shopping voucher as a thank you for your time.

 

Who to contact

If you would like to take part, please contact Lyndsay Lindley

Email: lyndsay.lindley@york.ac.uk         

Work mobile: 0755 228 5962

Opportunities to support Alzheimer’s Society’s media team by sharing your experiences

 

Alzheimer’s Society not only provides help to 900,000 people living with dementia but offers hope, by amplifying voices to push for change that’ll improve the lives of people affected by dementia, now and in the future.

 

One way the charity achieves impact is by working closely with people affected by dementia, to support people to share their own experiences – good or bad – with the media, that will spread awareness and create impact that helps to make a difference.

The charity’s media team have a jam-packed calendar of activity coming up, where your experience of dementia can be vital to help influence their work. Some of these include:

  • Looking at the way dementia impacts relationships between couples.

  • Promoting the benefits of getting a timely dementia diagnosis, the challenges and barriers that can be faced within in system when seeking a diagnosis, how a diagnosis doesn’t mean the end but opens doors to help and answers.

  • The support and help received from Alzheimer’s Society.

  • Social care challenges and extra pressure on carers to prop up a failing system.

 

If any of these points above resonate with you or you feel your own experience could help contribute to some of these topics, Alzheimer’s Society’s media team would love to hear from you.

 

To get involved with media work, contact regionalpress@alzheimers.org.uk or call the regional media team on 0117 965 8093.

 

Thanks as always to our Ambassador Vicky McClure and to members of Our Dementia Choir who already support the charity’s media work by sharing their experiences.

 

If you need support from Alzheimer’s Society, call the support line on 0333 150 3456 or visit alzheimers.org.uk

My Darling

This is a poem for all those dealing with Dementia

By David Benson

 

My darling - when we first met

Way back in sixty-three

It was at a dance

And you asked me

Ever since I took that chance

You’ve been the only man for me

 

Through good times and bad

We stuck together

When money was tight

We stayed in the fight

And brought up our daughters

In the way our parents had taught us

 

As we grew older

We dreamed of retirement

Looked ahead to times of contentment

When we could stay in bed

And not get up

Until the papers were read

 

But life isn’t fair

And we didn’t get there

Although we are still together

Never once did we foresee

That there would come a day – My darling

When you wouldn’t remember me

 

Your memory’s locked – But there is a key

The song we danced to in sixty-three

Young lovers once again - you and me

And I get that same old thrill

She Loves You - My darling

And she always will

… COMING SOON! We’ve got a YouTube channel! We’re very excited about this one! Keep up to date with the choir and come on our journey with us! Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the first episode! https://youtube.com/@OurDementiaChoir

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