‘Humbled’ Wellingborough dementia charity presented cheque for £2,000 to help it continue to connect people through music

Dementia Sings Out is giving people affected by the condition a means to have their voice heard, and a donation from the Rotary Club of Wellingborough will help the charity to continue its inspiring work.

A cheque for £2,000 was presented by Peter Anstee, president of the Rotary Club on Thursday morning (October 12), and representatives were ‘humbled’ by the generous donation which will help with the cost of running the charity moving forward.

Peter said: “We focus on local charities, and work very closely with Dementia Sings Out.

“We have members that make use of the service, but we also just like the ethos of it.

“We like the fact that it’s community based, and there’s an awful lot of people volunteering to help support it.”

Funds are needed for the hire of the facility and to keep the choir headed by director Gareth Fuller going for the foreseeable future, allowing the experience of singing, socialising, and enjoying tea, coffee and refreshments to be given at no cost to attendees.

On Thursday mornings from 10.30am, the charity occupies the Compass Church to gather for an hour to sing uplifting tunes like Brown-Eyed Girl, This Little Light of Mine, and You Are My Sunshine.

Dementia Sings Out started in Wellingborough before the Covid-19 pandemic, and managed to continue bringing people together via Zoom. Now, it holds weekly sessions at the Meadow Close facility.

Most of the people at the charity are connected to Wellingborough Gospel Choir, which recently returned from Edinburgh Fringe after a successful sold-out performance.

Garry Rowe, a trustee of Dementia Sings Out, was ‘grateful’ for the cheque and noted the presentation ‘went really well.’

He said: "It’s an amazing community arrangement.

"The people who come each week are a real mixture of people living in a care home, their carers and a significant number of people who are living independently or with a partner.

“It’s a real family organisation. One of our major points we’ve picked up over the last four years is the way in which it brings families together.

"We have people who are living in care homes who are often joined by their family, it’s an opportunity for them to do something together which they wouldn’t normally have.”

Music can help to trigger old memories, and for those experiencing late stages of dementia it can give a feeling of familiarity. By having a repertoire of classic tunes from pop stars of old, Dementia Sings Out enables people to rekindle thoughts of the past.

Garry added: “We try to provide a support mechanism that these people so badly need.

“Every week there is something which makes you feel as though you are doing something to help other people.

"When other people say ‘I got my mother back for an hour last Thursday morning’, you can’t get any better than that.

"You realise that all the effort and heartache is worth it.

“Every single week there’s something that can bring a tear to the eye because it takes you by surprise when you see someone light up.

“We’re very proud of what everyone has achieved together, and so pleased it’s supported locally.”

Ruth Bowe, another trustee, said: “It is the most magical hour of the week where the inhibitions are lost and the challenge of living with dementia appears to be temporarily lifted.”

The charity relies mostly on donations, and recently received National Lottery funding alongside the funds from the Rotary Club.

Dementia Sings Out was inspired by Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure, a two-part BBC documentary that aired in 2019 that seeks to understand the relationship between music and dementia.

In the four years since it started, Dementia Sings Out has helped local people to find their voice again, and the donation from the Rotary Club of Wellingborough will give the charity the means to keep going.