​PRESS RELEASE
 
Monday 28 June 2021
 
COVID Lockdown last March forced the daytime fun Singalong sessions from the Golden-Oldies Charity to stop.
 
From its West Country launch 13 years ago, ‘Goldies’, as it is fondly known, had grown to the point where it was running over 200 daytime sessions across England and Wales. Seventy dedicated freelance leaders led the sessions in Church Halls, community rooms and Libraries from Yorkshire to Cornwall, across England and through South Wales as Goldies Cymru.
 
The sessions brightened the lives of thousands of isolated older people. An academic study in February 2020 reported;
 
“The evaluation clearly shows that Goldies is making a significant contribution to reducing isolation and loneliness amongst the older population.”
 
With live daytime sessions ruled out the Charity then went Online with weekly ‘sofa singing’ sessions delivered by leaders Rachel Parry and Cheryl Davies.
 
www.goldieslive.com
 
Goldies founder Grenville Jones says;
 
“GoldiesLive.com initially started with one session each week but over the months we have grown to the point where there are now regular sessions broadcast on YouTube and Facebook each Tuesday and Thursday at 11am with an additional monthly session in the Welsh language from Sian Francis on the first Monday of each month (next Monday June 28).”
 
The sessions also feature Steph Bosanko who leads gentle chair exercises and many of the Goldies session leaders from England and Wales also contribute with inserted videos. Sarita Sood’s Bollywood sessions have become a favourite with GoldiesLive.com participants.
 
The sessions are supported by the People’s Postcode Lottery Community Fund and the Wales-based Moondance Foundation.
 
Rachel and Cheryl regularly feature special subjects for their audience and July will see the spotlight on songs focusing on families and melodies that celebrate the Summer including, of course, ‘Summer Holiday’ from the Golden-Oldies Patron himself, Sir Cliff Richard.
 
The Charity works closely with Public Health Wales, the Stroke Association, Dementia support groups and many Age UK groups who actively promote the sessions to their older clients.
 
The session are easy to access through YouTube and Facebook and the Charity is now looking ahead in the hope that one day soon it will be able to recommence its daytime live sessions.
 
However, the GoldiesLive.com sessions will also continue through to Spring 2022.
 
ENDS
 
Picture : All together now – Goldies brings songs and smiles to isolated older people.
 
Press enquiries to Grenville Jones on 07778 282934.
 

​When will we sing again?
 
As a respected choir leader and founder of the Golden-Oldies ‘Sing&Smile’ Charity, Grenville Jones has added his voice to the call for clearer Government guidance on the future of amateur singing indoors. 
 
Yesterday in the House of Commons Bath MP Wera Hobhouse asked this question.
 
Ms Hobhouse said; 
 
“Our wonderful choirs and choral societies exist across the country. Unlike professional organisations, amateur choirs are not allowed to rehearse in groups of more than six indoors, although the Covid risk is exactly the same. Does the current Government not recognise the contribution that voluntary organisations and amateur choirs make to society at large?
 
“In the West we have the Golden-Oldies Charity that uses singing to tackle loneliness and isolation amongst older people.”
 
The Golden-Oldies Charity, fondly known as ‘Goldies’ was started by Grenville Jones in Bath 13 years ago it has grown across England and Wales to the point, prior to Lockdown, that 220 fun daytime singalong sessions attracted hundreds of older people. These take place in Church halls, Libraries and community rooms. Everyone is welcome and attendees include adults with learning difficulties and those living with Dementia. 
 
The ethos is simple, to give those who live lonely lives fun events to look forward to with the accent firmly on the social benefits of being together.
 
Grenville has been associated with choirs for the last 30 years and prior to Lockdown was running 22 choirs across the West of England, seven of which he conducted himself each week.
 
Grenville said;
 
“Together with choir leaders and those involved in amateur music across the UK we are all looking ahead to June 21st with apprehension… will the relaxation of rules come into place that will enable us again to meet together indoors to sing?
 
“For myself, this not only means that my choirs can start to sing in the afternoon and evenings but it also means that we can restart our fun singalong sessions with the 60 freelance leaders that are at the heart of our Goldies Charity.
 
“These take place from Bradford to Cornwall and from Essex across to the whole of South Wales (Goldies Cymru).
 
“We all understand the health risks but, as Ms Hobhouse pointed out we ask why there are rules for professional singers but no regard for amateurs.
 
“Many thousands enjoy singing as a hobby and the effect on the wellbeing of those people cannot be underestimated. I know myself how desperate folk are to get back to their singing group again and we look to our Government to tell us exactly what the situation is.
 
“Hopefully this will be made clear within the next few days so we can again start to plan our rehearsals across the United Kingdom.”
 
Together with many others Grenville has taken to the internet these past few months. He has been leading Zoom singing sessions with two of his choirs each week as well as leading a pre-recorded Wednesday Online choir with over 300 members from across the World. 
 
The Charity launched www.goldieslive.com soon after the first Lockdown and there are now two weekly fun online sessions, accessed via YouTube and Facebook as well as a dedicated Welsh language session, once a month.
 
ENDS
 
Picture Caption …. All together again?
 

PRESS RELEASE
Thursday 13 May 2021
 
Goldies Cymru welcomes £12,000 boost to help people with dementia through music and song
 
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.

Goldies Cymru session leaders Rachel Parry (front) and Cheryl Davies who currently lead the online GoldiesLive weekly sessions.

The grant was received from Music for Dementia’s £500,000 Paul & Nick Harvey Fund, which was set up specifically to directly support musical activities for people with dementia*. ‘Goldies’ is planning to relaunch its fun daytime Sing&Smile sessions across South Wales in the Autumn for people living with dementia and introduce many new sessions.

Music for Dementia is a national campaign calling for music to be made accessible for everyone living with dementia. Music has a valuable role to play in enhancing quality of life for people living with the condition, and their carers. Research and lived experiences show that it can help reduce the often-distressing symptoms of dementia, such as agitation, apathy and anxiety.

Covid brought to a halt the live daytime sessions last March. These were then replaced with twice weekly GoldiesLive.com sessions through YouTube and Facebook. A monthly Welsh speaking version was added in May and hundreds enjoy singing and smiling on their sofas at home. The sessions also include gentle chair exercises, Bollywood dancing and much more.

Grace Meadows, Programme Director, Music for Dementia, said: “We are so delighted to be able to support Goldies Cymru and others across the UK with a grant from the Paul & Nick Harvey Fund. Musical services have been severely impacted in the last year, meaning many people living with dementia and their carers have lost those important connections and special moments that only music can provide.

“By directing the fund money towards community-based, musical services for people living with dementia and those that provide them, we are able to bring the joy of music into people’s lives wherever they are on their dementia journey.”

Grenville Jones, founder of Goldies said: “This wonderful support from the Paul & Nick Harvey Fund will help us to reach out through music to brighten the lives of many people, those living with dementia and their carers.
“You really can’t beat a good old fashioned singalong!”

* This fund was made possible by a kind donation from The Hunter Foundation to Paul & Nick Harvey who passed the money to The Utley Foundation for Music for Dementia
​
- ENDS -
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Grenville Jones is available for interview. Please contact him on 07778 282934.
 
About Paul & Nick Harvey
Paul Harvey is a former classical pianist and music teacher, now in his 80s, who lives with dementia. His spontaneous Four Notes composition, videoed by his son Nick, went viral across social media in September 2020; it was orchestrated by a BBC Philharmonic player and recorded by the BBC Philharmonic in October, then made available as a single. Music for Dementia was nominated by the father and son to receive half of the sales proceeds alongside Alzheimer’s Society.


About Music for Dementia
Music for Dementia, funded by The Utley Foundation, campaigns for people with dementia to have music as an integral part of their care whatever their circumstances. We are calling on the music industry, philanthropists, and the health and social care sectors to work together to make access to music for people living with dementia readily available.

PRESS RELEASE

 Thursday May 6, 2021

In March 2020 Lockdown and Covid 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 and Community halls and Libraries, they introduced sessions online featuring two popular leaders, Rachel Parry and Cheryl Davies.

Over recent months the sessions have grown and now reach out to hundreds of older isolated people in their own homes. GoldiesLive has led the way on sofa singing!

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.

A recent online addition has been the introduction of a monthly GoldiesLive session in Welsh led by Sian Francis. It features popular Welsh folk songs and is already attracting a large enthusiastic audience.

A brilliant new addition to GoldiesLive has also been the introduction of gentle chair exercises led by Steph Bosanko. Steph is a qualified Yoga teacher and says that her ‘main qualification’ is that she grew up in a residential care home, run by her Father, and that she started working there as a care worker at 14 and then went on to work in nursing homes for many years.

Ahead - on June 10 Cheryl Davies will celebrate her work with Bridgend Carers featuring their song requests and an inserted video of them singing. 

During Men’s Health Week on June 15 there will be an Essex special featuring two of our Essex session leaders, Rob Cadman and Ray Mound, singing songs by lesser known male artists from the 60s.

Sarita Sood will be back in July with her amazing Bollywood dance moves and another session that everyone will be looking out for will take place on July 6 when Rachel will feature songs that require a feather boa to sing!

“Everyone is welcome to join the weekly sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Sian on the first Monday of the month. They are broadcast on both YouTube and Facebook and can of course be re-viewed at any time from the website,” says Goldies charity founder Grenville Jones.

ENDS
Image shows GoldiesLive online leaders Rachel (front) and Cheryl
Press enquiries to Grenville Jones on 07778 282934.

PRESS RELEASE
 
Thursday April 22 2021
 
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.
 
Over recent months the sessions have developed and now reach out to hundreds of older isolated people in their own homes. GoldiesLive has led the way on sofa singing!
 
A recent addition has been the introduction of a monthly GoldiesLive session in Welsh led by Sian Francis. 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
 
Sian was born in the South Wales valleys and now lives in Cardiff with her husband and two children. Sian has had a love for music since an early age. She grew up competing in Eisteddfodau and in local musical theatre productions. She has a passion for Welsh language music and is very excited to lead her monthly sessions with Goldies. 
 
A brilliant new addition to GoldiesLive has also been the introduction of gentle chair exercises led by Steph Bosanko, a qualified Yoga teacher.
 
Ahead, on June 10 Cheryl Davies will celebrate her work with Bridgend Carers featuring their song requests and an inserted video of them singing. 
 
Men’s Health Week is in focus on June 17.
 
Sarita Sood will be back in July with her amazing Bollywood dance moves and a session that everyone will be looking out for will take place on July 6 when Rachel will feature songs that require a feather boa to sing!
 
Everyone is welcome to join www.goldieslive.com weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Sian on the first Monday of the month. They are broadcast on both YouTube and Facebook and can of course be re-viewed at any time from the website.
 
ENDS
 
Picture shows Sian Francis.
 
Press enquiries to Grenville Jones on 07778 282934.
 

PRESS RELEASE
 
Wednesday April 14, 2021
 
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. Gentle chair exercises have been added and the sessions regularly include inserted videos of the session leaders who previously took the daytime sessions.
 
Special guest on Tuesday May 4 is Alison who, prior to Lockdown, led a number of Goldies sessions across Swindon in partnership with Swindon Borough Council. Alison will feature as the special guest on May 4 with her pet Labradoodle ‘Noodle’ who was a big favourite with all of the folk at the sessions taken by Alison.
 
“We are delighted that Alison is again going to be part of our GoldiesLive session. She has made a number of appearances in past months and I know that all of our Goldies watching on their sofas in Swindon will be delighted to see her.
 
“We are hoping that one day soon we will again be able to introduce our daytime sessions across Swindon and eagerly await the day that that might happen,” said Grenville Jones, founder of the Goldies Charity.
 
Watch GoldiesLive either on YouTube or Facebook each week, it’s easy just go to www.goldieslive.com
 
ENDS
 
Picture shows Alison with her pet Labradoodle ‘Noodle’.
 
Press enquiries to Grenville Jones on 07778 282934.

PRESS RELEASE
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.
 
When Covid forced closure of all live daytime sessions across South Wales, the Charity’s positive response was to go online with regular www.goldieslive.com fun Sing&Smile sessions last Spring. These then grew to be twice weekly at 11am on Tuesdays and Thursdays taken by two popular Goldies Cymru session leaders, Rachel Parry and Cheryl Davies.
 
Grenville Jones is the Goldies founder. He said;
 
“Our Charity brings joy to older isolated people through good old-fashioned fun singalongs. If our work was important prior to Lockdown then the added increase of isolation makes our work vital. Older folk obviously could not attend any more our 60 daytime sessions across Wales and so we took our sessions to them in their front rooms, Sing&Smile on your sofa!”
 
Through last year sessions developed with the introduction of screen words, Bollywood songs and inserted public health information videos and gentle chair exercise. Many age-support organisations and residential homes have promoted the twice weekly www.goldieslive.com sessions that are available on YouTube and Facebook.
 
On Monday March 1, St David’s Day, Goldies Cymru will introduce new monthly sessions in the Welsh language, taken by Sian Francis, accessible from 11am. These have been made possible by the support of the Moondance Foundation.
 
Sian was born in the South Wales valleys and now lives in Cardiff with her husband and two children. She has had a love for music since an early ago and grew up competing in Eisteddfodau and in local musical theatre productions. Later in life she went on to complete a BMus from Goldsmiths University where she studied Classical Music and Opera. She also spent many years working as an entertainer onboard cruise liners. 
 
She has a passion for Welsh language music and is very excited to start her sessions with Goldies. 
 
Sian said;
 
“I’m looking forward to singing with older people across Wales and over the months ahead I will be using some of our wonderful Welsh melodies as well as introducing some new ones.
 
“Please join me on St David’s Day.”
 
ENDS…
 
OUR photo shows Sian Francis.
 
Press enquiries to Rachel Parry, Programme Leader for Goldies Cymru, call 07796 714816 or email rachel@goldiescymru.org.uk 

PRESS RELEASE
 
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.
 
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Heléna Herklots CBE, said:
 
“Keeping active is really important for older people’s well-being and helps them to stay healthy and independent. But the pandemic has meant that many of the usual opportunities for older people to keep active have been lost.
 
“So I’m really pleased to see that Goldies Cymru is working in partnership with NHS Wales to deliver a series of gentle chair-based exercise sessions that will help older people to get moving safely at home throughout the Winter weeks ahead.”
 
When the Goldies Cymru Charity were forced by Covid to cancel all of their daytime sessions across South Wales last March they then introduced online sessions through Facebook and YouTube. These then developed to become twice weekly with Tuesday sessions taken by Rachel Parry and Thursdays with Cheryl Davies. Rachel and Cheryl have both worked for the Charity for a number of years taking regular daytime sessions.
 
With Cheryl’s Thursday session based on the popular Goldies format of singing with well-loved popular songs and onscreen words, the Tuesday 11am sessions led by Rachel have developed into a more magazine-style format.
 
Rachel said:
 
“We have had a fantastic response from our older folk and we now try to feature a different subject each Tuesday.
 
“The chair-based exercises encourage people to stretch as well as sing and we hope to develop these in the weeks ahead.
 
“Our Bollywood sessions have been extremely popular and next week Sarita Sood will again be teaching us some lovely simple Bollywood dance moves which will be inserted into our Tuesday session by video.
 
“Line Dancing has always been a very popular part of Goldies sessions and we will be introducing more of those in the future using videos that were taken before Lockdown at our hugely popular Rhydypennau weekly Goldies session, led by Sue Thomas.”
 
www.goldieslive.com is easy to access and is also freely available on YouTube and through Facebook.
 
Goldies Founder, Grenville Jones, added;
 
“When we were forced to cancel our live Goldies sessions last year this meant that our older folk could not come to us to enjoy a session in their community room, church hall or Library. As they could not come to us, through the internet, we took Goldies into their homes and sofa-singing started!”
 
ENDS
 
Our image shows Sarita Sood who leads the Bollywood Goldies sessions online.
 
Press enquiries to Grenville Jones on 07778 282934.

PRESS RELEASE
 
Monday 7 December 2020
 
A Christmas Carol Celebration in your home
 
Across the UK so many people will miss their traditional Carol Concert or Service. However Christmas music and those well-loved carols can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home with a warm invitation from the Golden-Oldies Charity.
 
‘Goldies’, as it is fondly known, was forced to cancel its daytime FUN singalong sessions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic in March. It then launched its online sessions which developed to become twice-weekly led by Rachel Parry and Cheryl Davies, two of the popular Goldies session leaders.
 
They have been working together to prepare a very special Christmas concert which will be available for everyone to enjoy from 11am on Thursday December 24 – Christmas Eve – it will include popular Christmas pieces as well as lots of inserted messages from session leaders across England and Wales as well as a performance from children of Llanedeyrn Primary School.
 
Grenville Jones is Founder of Goldies, he said;
 
“The service will be easy to find on YouTube and clearly shown on www.goldieslive.com from 11am on Christmas Eve. And, of course, anyone can then go back and re-watch the broadcast at any time perhaps with family and friends. The song words will be printed on screen so we hope that people will put on their Christmas jumpers, wear their Christmas hats and as the song words will be printed on screen there is no excuse not to join in.”
 
GoldiesLive sessions go out every Tuesday and Thursday and the Charity has plans to develop and continue these through the Winter months and on into 2021.
 
A Happy ‘Goldies’ Christmas to everyone.
 
Hear our special guests, the children of Llanedeyrn Primary School Choir singing for our Christmas Celebration www.goldieslive.com
 
ENDS
 
Picture shows children of the Llanedeyrn Primary School Choir singing for our Christmas Celebration.
 
Press enquiries to Grenville Jones on 07778 282934.
 

PRESS RELEASE
 
Thursday 12 November 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.
 
“Goldies” as it is more fondly known, was forced by Covid to cancel all of its 220 FUN daytime Sing & Smile sessions back in March. Within weeks the Charity introduced online singing with its popular formula of 60s hits and sessions shared by Rachel Parry and Cheryl Davies, two of the charity’s popular session leaders in Wales. 
 
Grenville Jones, Goldies founder takes up the story:
 
“The response was immediate and in July we were able to get funding to increase to twice weekly sessions. Rachel going live every Tuesday and Cheryl leading the singalongs every Thursday.”
 
As the sessions have progressed, they have been supported, promoted and followed by many other Age-Related organisations across England and Wales. 
 
The Tuesday sessions with Rachel now take a more magazine-style approach with inserted public health information videos and ‘appearances’ from many of the session leaders who previously delivered the daytime sessions. 
 
With a designated website www.goldieslive.com the pre-recorded sessions go live on YouTube and on Facebook every week where they can, of course, be revisited at any time. There is feedback every week from across the UK. 
 
Mary Tamburella sent one of the many, many comments received in recent weeks. 
 
“Thank you, I really do love the sessions. My sister in law lives with me. She has dementia and I play them to her most nights before bed.”
 
Grenville adds;
 
“If Goldies was important to lonely older isolated people prior to Covid, then now our work is even more vital to combat isolation and well-being, reaching out to those who are vulnerable and stuck at home.” 
 
With Christmas on the horizon Rachel and Cheryl are currently working towards a very special Christmas Carol Concert which will be broadcast the Wednesday prior to Christmas Day. It will include popular carols and special performances for everyone to enjoy at home.
 
Even in Lockdown everyone can enjoy a Goldies Christmas.
 
ENDS
 
All enquiries to Grenville Jones 0777 828 2934
 
Pictured - Rachel and Cheryl “Bring Me Sunshine”
​