Now in its 13th 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. There are now 225 fun daytime sessions in community rooms, church halls and libraries across England and Wales - taken by 70 dedicated freelance leaders. Grenville is always anxious to point out however that the charity he started, GOLDIES is NOT a choir, but singing the popular memory-evoking hits of the 60s and onwards lies at the heart of all it does. GOLDIES recognises the issues of loneliness amongst the increasing older population. It gives vulnerable people a REASON to get out, to be with others, laugh, sing out, and to make new friends.
CORONAVIRUS meant that we had to stop all our popular daytime Goldies Sessions across England and Wales. HOWEVER, WE WILL START BACK IN 2021 as and when we are able to within Government guidelines. Meanwhile you can join us online twice a week wherever you are with...
The Together with MUSIC organisation asked us if they could share a video of our brilliant Goldieslive leaders with people in care homes across the UK. Here is our brilliant trio singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”..for you to enjoy ..
The Together with MUSIC organisation asked us if they could share a video of our brilliant Goldieslive leaders with people in care homes across the UK. Here is our brilliant trio singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”..for you to enjoy ..
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Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am
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Join Rachel and Cheryl for our FUN, FREE Online Singalongs. You can watch on our dedicated website www.goldieslive.com or on our YouTube and Facebook Page…. visit the links below and remember to SUBSCRIBE/LIKE and FOLLOW to be notified of new videos each week. We would love to hear from you with your birthday and anniversary dates and you favourite songs. Just email: info@goldieslive.com
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR LATEST FLYER |
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Goldies takes off in East London! With wonderful support from The Mercers' Company, new sessions were introduced across East London prior to Lockdown. Here is a lovely video with Lisa Brown our session leader at the Havering Asian Social Welfare Association Session in Elm Park. More sessions will be starting soon. Watch out for details of when our Goldies sessions resume – if you would like to know more please contact Founder, Grenville by emailing - glj@golden-oldies.org.uk |
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 our founder Grenville Jones - he would love to hear from you - glj@golden-oldies.org.uk
WHY IS OUR WORK 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.
2020 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
GoldiesLive online leaders Rachel (front) and Cheryl
Sian Francis will lead a GOLDIESLIVE session in Welsh on Monday May 3rd.
Alison and her Labradoodle 'Noodle' who will be special guests on the GoldiesLive session on Tuesday May 4th.
Our lovely Goldie Thalia thanking the NHS
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MORE GOLDIES NEWS...Thursday May 13 - GOLDIES CYMRU WELCOMES £12,000 BOOST TO HELP PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA THROUGH MUSIC AND SINGING
The Goldies Cymru Charity is celebrating after receiving £12,000 to continue its musical services for people living with dementia. The money will enable the Cardiff-based charity to reach out through Songs and Smiles across South Wales for people suffering with dementia to support their wellbeing. Click HERE to read more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday May 6 - GOLDIESLIVE THEMED ONLINE SESSION WITH RACHEL AND CHERYL
As “Goldies,” as it is more fondly known, could not go into Church and Community halls and Libraries, they introduced sessions online featuring two popular leaders, Rachel Parry and Cheryl Davies. The Tuesday sessions taken by Rachel follow popular ‘themes’ and in the weeks ahead will focus upon carers across Wales, Father’s Day, World Music Day and National Writing Day. The sessions will include inserted videos featuring a number of Goldies Cymru session leaders including Ray Mound and Rob Cadman from Essex and Carol Pegler and Sue Thomas in Wales. Click HERE to read more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday April 22 - GOLDIESLIVE THEMED ONLINE SESSION
Last year in March, Covid Lockdown meant that the daytime fun Sing&Smile sessions from the Goldies Cymru Charity had to be cancelled. As Goldies, as it is more fondly known, could not go into Church halls and Libraries, the charity introduced sessions online featuring two popular leaders from Wales, Rachel Parry and Cheryl Davies. A recent addition has been the introduction of a monthly GoldiesLive session in Welsh led by Sian Francis (pictured left). This features popular Welsh folk songs and is already attracting a large enthusiastic audience. The next session is on Monday May 3 from 11am – with easy access through www.goldieslive.com Click here to read more ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday 14 April - GoldiesLive online session with Alison and Noodle theLabradoole
When Covid forced cancellation of all live daytime singing sessions the Goldies Charity then introduced regular online sessions for people to enjoy in their own homes. GoldiesLive has progressed over the months and there are now two sessions each week on a Tuesday and Thursday, led by session leaders Rachel and Cheryl. Special guest on Tuesday May 4 is Alison with her pet Labradoodle ‘Noodle’ who was a big favourite with all of the folk at the sessions taken by Alison. Click HERE to read the full story. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday 24 March 2021 - GOLDIES SHOP TO REOPEN
we are hoping that in April (after Easter) we’ll be able to open again our Goldies Charity shop in Keynsham, supporting Songs&Smiles for older lonely folk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday 18 February 2021 - St David’s Day launch for Goldies Cymru singing online in Welsh
A new online singing session in Welsh will be the next development from the Goldies Cymru Charity. Click HERE to read the full story. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday 21 January 2021 - Staying active in your home
As Lockdown in Wales puts an even greater emphasis on the isolation and wellbeing of older people, the Goldies Cymru Charity is increasing its online content to include gentle exercise at home. Click HERE to read more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 2020 - Our thanks to the Co-op for supporting GoldiesLive sessions through the Co-op Local Community Fund this year November 2020-October 2021. If you’re a member of the Co-op (or want to become one) you can select us as your cause by following this link https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/48030 , and every time you buy Co-op branded items at your local Co-op, two pence in each pound will be donated to Goldies. Our thanks in particular go out to the Odd Down store in Bath who chose us as a local cause this year. #ItsWhatWeDo
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, November 12th, 2020 - GOLDIES SOFA SONGS HIT THE RIGHT NOTE
Older isolated people across England and Wales are singing on their sofas every week with the Golden-Oldies Charity. Click HERE to read the full story (Cheryl and Rachel our Goldies Live session leaders are pictured left) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday September 1st 2020 - Daytime Sing & Smile sessions for the Golden-Oldies Charity are a big hit with hundreds of older people living across Exeter. Following the enforced closure of all sessions in March the charity introduced twice weekly sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays led by Rachel Parry and Cheryl Davies – two of the Goldies session leaders. Click HERE to read the full story.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, June 25th, 2020 - GOLDIES LAUNCHES ONLINE SESSIONS
Click HERE to read the full story. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, May 7th, 2020 - Thank you to our NHS and Keyworkers
Our picture opposite shows our lovely Thalia, who regularly attends our Goldies session in Cardiff Central Library and Penylan. A big thank you to the NHS staff and Key Workers. We are sending our best wishes to friends and Goldies. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, March 30th, 2020 - Goldies SOFA SINGING online success
Thursday daytime online singing sessions from the Goldies Cymru Charity are proving to be a big hit. After the lockdown Goldies leaders in South Wales, Rachel Parry and Cheryl Davies, decided that they would make every Thursday special for the older folk across South Wales who could not attend their daytime singing sessions for the time being by introducing a weekly online singalong. Click HERE to read more. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ‘Goldies’ launches its 200th session in a Pub!
On Wednesday March 4 – the Golden-Oldies Charity launched at its 200th venue with a Sing&Smile FUN session in a community PUB. The special guest was local resident Briony Williams from The Great British Bake Off – and her gran, over 100 people who attend Goldies sessions across Bristol and South Wales attended. Since the charity started in 2008, there have been over 15,000 fun daytime sing and smile sessions. Briony brought a special 200 birthday cake for Goldies - See our pictures below. You can also watch a lovely video taken at the event by clicking HERE. To read the full story click HERE. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- FEB 2020 - Goldies announce new session at Kirkgate Centre, Shipley
A charity that puts smiles on the faces of older isolated people is launching at the Kirkgate Centre in mid-March with its FUN daytime Sing&Smile sessions on Monday March 9. Read more HERE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FEB 2020 - BOLLYWOOD GOLDIES
Thanks to an Awards for All Grant from Lottery Wales, we have introduced hugely enjoyable dance routines to a number of our Goldies Cymru sessions (pictured left). These have taken place at Cefn Glas, Pontardawe and Kenfig Hill and more are planned in the future. These are led by our brilliant leader Sarita Sood. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Company Number: 6369123 - Charity Registration Number: 1121600