ALL ABOUT OUR GOLDIES CHARITY
Now in its 17th year and more commonly known simply as “GOLDIES," our founder is the highly respected Bath-based musician Grenville Jones who recognised how singing and music, brightened the lives and wellbeing of the many people across his choirs. Grenville himself took the first daytime singing and activity sessions in sheltered housing community rooms in and around Bath back in 2007.
Since that time the work of the Charity has spread across England and Wales (GOLDIES Cymru).
Grenville is always anxious to point out that the charity he started, is NOT about choir singing, but sing-alongs to the popular
memory-evoking hits of the 50s onwards ..... SONGS and SMILES lie at the heart of all we do.
Sessions are taken by our dedicated freelance leaders in community rooms, church halls and libraries.
Since that time the work of the Charity has spread across England and Wales (GOLDIES Cymru).
Grenville is always anxious to point out that the charity he started, is NOT about choir singing, but sing-alongs to the popular
memory-evoking hits of the 50s onwards ..... SONGS and SMILES lie at the heart of all we do.
Sessions are taken by our dedicated freelance leaders in community rooms, church halls and libraries.
2nd – 8th of June is National Volunteers Week. Goldies Volunteers range from volunteer Session Leaders to those who regularly attend sessions to help out with making cups of tea, putting out chairs and ensuring our participants have a wonderful time.
A huge Thank You from the Goldies Team to all our wonderful Volunteers.
On March 27 in a glittering awards ceremony at the packed Bobby Moore Suite, Wembley Stadium, the work of the Bath-based Songs&Smiles Charity Golden-Oldies was recognised with its founder Grenville Jones being awarded the prestigious UK Excellence Awards 2025 Patron’s Award for Individual achievement by the British Quality Foundation Patron, HRH, the Princess Royal.
Click here to read the Press Release
Click here to read the Press Release
Pictured at the Bobby Moore Suite, Wembley Stadium, on Thursday March 27 the team from the Golden-Oldies Charity celebrating the success of Grenville Jones in winning the Patron’s Award for Individual Achievement. Pictured (left-right) Trustees Ingrid & John Franklin, Cheryl Davies Goldies Cymru, Grenville Jones Goldies Founder, Julie Brady and Emma Shearman from Goldies South West office, Su Thomas Goldies Cymru and (front) Helen Wann Bath-based Trustee for the Charity.
Official event photographs taken by Studio Mobile Photography
GOLDIES SWEATSHIRTS
CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS TOGETHER
Christmas is in full swing here at Goldies and what a fabulous time we’re having, with our December Sing&Smile sessions and 8 county wide Christmas Parties! Over 700 people have booked in to one of our Christmas BIG SINGs this year in Nailsea, Stoke Gifford, Wells, Swindon, Braintree, Martock, Keynsham and Exeter.
We’ve seen, danced and sung along with fantastic Ukulele groups, local Primary School children and seated dance sessions. We’ve sung to every Christmas Crooner we can find and eaten all the mince pies and Christmas cake. A special thank you to the Julia Rausing trust for supporting these important events this year. Want to know more? Give the office a call 01761 470006.
Read our Press Release Goldies Charity reflects on Christmas Celebrations
Across Wales and England here
Across Wales and England here
SONGS AND SMILES!
Lets pop in to the weekly Goldies Cymru session that takes place in Rhydypennau Library in Cardiff. Get ready to join in with the folks as they belt out “Sweet Caroline”.
This hugely popular weekly session is lead by Sue Thomas, our brilliant Goldies leader …. Goldies is good for you, it brings a smile to your face and there’s nothing better than a good old fashioned singalong.
In England there are now nearly 100 monthly Goldies' 'Sing & Smile' sessions taking place across B&NES, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, East London, Essex, Gloucestershire, Mendip, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, South Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Swindon, Wiltshire and Yorkshire. Find out where your local group is by clicking HERE.
GOLDIES recognises the issues of loneliness amongst the increasingly older population. It gives vulnerable people a REASON to get out, to be with others, laugh, sing out, and to make new friends.
We ask everyone attending please to make a donation of £3 per session to help us sustain them and support our work
with older isolated folk.
Contact the office for more information on 01761 470006 or email [email protected]
There is a dedicated website for Goldies in Wales with full details of sessions and much, much more!
www.goldiescymru.org.uk
www.goldiescymru.org.uk
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
The Health and Wellbeing effect on elderly and isolated older people across England and Wales by the Golden-Oldies charity has resulted in considerable positive evidence and feedback. Recently, with National Lottery support, new daytime Sing & Smile ‘Goldies’ sessions have started in Wales in Conwy, in partnership with the local Borough Council’s Health and Wellbeing team. Now in 2024, recent evidence from a new session in Wales further underlines how the Goldies charity brightens lives and improves wellbeing. One attendee is an 89 year old lady who lives alone. This is what she told us …
“I suffer with COPD. I don’t go out often as I am left breathless and struggling to walk. I am on the Community Wellbeing Team mailing list and receive emails about sessions that are running. I had been looking for a number of years for a singing group, as I know singing is good for people with COPD. I have benefitted from the sessions greatly and, after was able to walk to the shop and walk home. I would have to stop to get my breath. However, after the session I was able to do this without stopping.”
For full details of Goldies sessions click here
“I suffer with COPD. I don’t go out often as I am left breathless and struggling to walk. I am on the Community Wellbeing Team mailing list and receive emails about sessions that are running. I had been looking for a number of years for a singing group, as I know singing is good for people with COPD. I have benefitted from the sessions greatly and, after was able to walk to the shop and walk home. I would have to stop to get my breath. However, after the session I was able to do this without stopping.”
For full details of Goldies sessions click here
FOREVER YOUNG 2024
FOREVER YOUNG – Thursday April 25 and the Pavilion in Bath was the venue for a Goldies celebration day – bringing together children from Primary Schools with older residents. Our video shows a group of Goldies session leaders from around the Bath & North East Somerset area singing out for Goldies!
On Thursday December 14th it was announced that Grenville Jones had received the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award on behalf of the Goldies Charity as the daily award winner and the UK’s 2217th recipient.
Grenville's response to winning the award was:
“On behalf of the Golden-Oldies Charity and the hundreds of older people whose lives are brightened by Songs & Smiles I wish to send a huge message of thanks to you for recognising the value of our work.”
We are always looking for new session leaders across England and Wales. If you would like to know more about being a Goldies session leader, then PLEASE, PLEASE contact the Goldies office, we would love to hear from you
- [email protected] or telephone 01761 470006
- [email protected] or telephone 01761 470006
WHY OUR WORK IS SO IMPORTANT
12% of older people feel trapped in their own home - 6% of older people leave their house once a week or less - Nearly 200,000 older people in the UK don’t get help to get out of their house or flat - 17% of older people are in contact with family, friends and neighbours less than once a week and 11% are in contact less than once a month - Over half (51%) of all people aged 75 and over live alone - 36% of people aged 65 and over in the UK feel out of touch with the pace of modern life and 9% say they feel cut off from society - Half of all older people (about 5 million) say the television is their main company - These statistics on loneliness and social isolation were taken from a report produced by the Campaign to End Loneliness.
Our Goldies Charity Shop is in Keynsham High Street, supporting our sessions in the Bath and North East Somerset area. Great bargains, special offers and much, much more... The next time you are in Keynsham, make sure you drop in to pick up a bargain. We welcome good quality donations and the shop telephone no is 0117 329 3910.
STUDY ON OUR GOLDIES CHARITY
A new Academic impact study was commissioned at the end of 2019 and the full report is now available (April 2020) This study was made possible the support of The National Lottery Wales and the Moondance Foundation. A number of Focus Groups took place and the conclusion statement includes a number of comments from those who attended. Here is just one of them: “It has totally changed my life. It brings me joy and peace. I struggled to cope with understanding the loss of my husband and found it hard to find any happiness. Goldies takes me out of depression and has helped me immensely.“
To access the full report CLICK HERE
To access the full report CLICK HERE
MORE GOLDIES NEWS ....
June 2025
Wells Goldies raised the roof on 4th June in the little chapel at Bishops Palace. After a lovely light lunch of sandwiches, pies, strawberries and homemade cake in the Stable Yard, Wells Goldies were invited to sing in the little chapel. A few members of the public joined us and there was lots of singing and dancing in the aisles! A huge thank you to the Bishops Place for allowing us to use such a beautiful venue.
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May 2025
Goldies Sing&Smile sessions celebrated the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe marking the end of World War 2 on 9th May 1945) during May. There were memories shared along with wartime songs and even sandwiches, tea and cake.
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March 2025
Our wonderful South Somerset and Devon Leaders Jaine and Emma and several of our Goldies attendees were live on BBC Radio Somerset on Friday 28th March, as part of a special Dementia Awareness broadcast with Simon Parkin at the Memory Cafe at Yeovil Town Football Club. You can listen back on BBC Radio Somerset by clicking this link - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0kv9wbm?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile – Jaine and Emma’s interview can be found between 1:39 and 1:49.
This is a brilliant tribute to all the amazing Dementia support groups out there, our thanks to Jaine and Emma for a fabulous interview.
This is a brilliant tribute to all the amazing Dementia support groups out there, our thanks to Jaine and Emma for a fabulous interview.
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February 2025
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A slightly belated welcome to three new Goldies Sing&Smile session leaders: Sam Grief will be running several of Goldies Sing&Smiles in Bath, Dana Molony will run Goldies in Calne and Emma Walker will cover Devon, Dorset and North Somerset. We wish them all the best.
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Sam Grief
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Emma Walker
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January 2025
“Goldies long awaited new Song Book 2025 has arrived! It promises our usual mix of popular hits from the past but we have introduced a few more from the 80’s and beyond which we’re sure you’ll enjoy! Check out our website under “where” for a Goldies Sing&Smile session near you where you can try the new book.”
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December 2024
And that as they say is a wrap!!!! All our Christmas Singing events are over for another year! What fun we've had and so many smiling, happy faces.
We kicked off on 28th November in Nailsea moving on to Stoke Gifford 3rd December, Wells 4th December, Swindon 5th, Martock 6th with one in Braintree, Essex on the same day. Keynsham on 13th December with our final party in Exeter on 19th December.
We hope everyone who attended had a wonderful Christmas!
We kicked off on 28th November in Nailsea moving on to Stoke Gifford 3rd December, Wells 4th December, Swindon 5th, Martock 6th with one in Braintree, Essex on the same day. Keynsham on 13th December with our final party in Exeter on 19th December.
We hope everyone who attended had a wonderful Christmas!
November 2024
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Exciting news we are launching our new Goldies sweatshirts ready for the winter. They are purple with a full logo across the back and smaller one on the left breast. The sweatshirts are £12 each which includes post and packing. Please contact the office for further details on 01761 470006.
Company Number: 6369123 - Charity Registration Number: 1121600
OSCR Number SC05 1241