Royal wedding soloist ready to sing out with Wellingborough dementia choir

A Wellingborough choir for people living with dementia and their carers will be joined by a singer by royal appointment.
Paul Lee will be singing in Wellingborough with the Dementia Sings Out choirPaul Lee will be singing in Wellingborough with the Dementia Sings Out choir
Paul Lee will be singing in Wellingborough with the Dementia Sings Out choir

Gospel singer Paul Lee sang at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in front of guests and to a global TV audience of more than two billion people.

Paul will take on the lead vocal on soul classic Stand By Me, by Ben E King, backed by the Wellingborough Dementia Sings Out choir for BBC Music Day 2019.

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The choir, which was only formed two months ago, have been rehearsing the song with the choir’s musical director Gareth Fuller.

Focusing on music and wellbeing, BBC Music Day 2019 will kick-start an initiative to help bring music to everyone living with dementia by 2020.

Joining the Dementia Sings Out members will be singers from Wellingborough Gospel Choir who are trained Dementia Friends, and Year 4 pupils from Freeman’s Endowed Junior Academy, Wellingborough.

Ruth Bowe, who founded both Wellingborough Gospel Choir and Dementia Sings Out, said: “I can’t believe that Dementia Sings Out has only been going for eight weeks.

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“We’ve been rehearsing and we will be joined by pupils from Freeman’s School and Paul is coming up from London to join us.”

Funding for the Dementia Sings Out choir has been secured until Christmas from private donations and a funding bid has been submitted to the National Lottery.

Ruth added: “It’s going so well and from strength-to-strength. The testimony we’ve had from the care homes has been brilliant.

“We have members who come from both private and council-run care homes. The private care homes have lovely minibuses to drop off but some of the council-run care homes cannot afford the transport.

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“It’s a real shame so I would like to appeal to any taxi firms or people with minibuses to see if they could offer reduced fares.

“We don’t want people to miss out.”

Dementia Sings Out choir will take part in BBC Music Day 2019 on Thursday, September 26, from 10.30am to 11.30am at the Everyday Champions Church in Havelock Street, Wellingborough.

For further information go to Wellingborough Community Gospel Choir on Facebook or email [email protected].