SKIPTON SINGS THE PRAISES OF GOLDEN-OLDIES CHARITY WITH £1,000 DONATION

PRESS RELEASE                                                                                                       Tuesday 24 May 2016
 
SKIPTON SINGS THE PRAISES OF GOLDEN-OLDIES CHARITY WITH £1,000 DONATION
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A singing charity which started in Bath has been given a £1,000 boost by Skipton Building Society’s Charitable Foundation.
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The Golden-Oldies started life in January 2008 with just four daytime fun sing-along sessions for older vulnerable people living at sheltered housing community rooms. The sessions then were all taken by the charities founder Bath music-man Grenville Jones working with Somer Housing. 

Over 10,000 sessions have taken place since the first ones in Bath and there are now 35 dedicated session leaders across England and Wales. The first session supported by Skipton Building Society took place in May at Burley in Wharfedale. The session was taken by Vanessa Iliff who leads Goldies in and around the Bradford area.
Vanessa said: “There are over 30 people and everyone had a fantastic time. The sessions will take place on the 2nd Thursday at 2pm at St Mary’s Parish Centre.”

Goldies Chair of Trustees is Bath based accountant, Mike Richardson, who said: “We are very grateful for the £1,000 donation from Skipton’s Charitable Foundation. We are a very small charity and still only have one full-time member of staff. Without question it is the pure energy and enthusiasm of our founder Grenville Jones that has driven us forward. It is quite remarkable what he has achieved.

“In recent months our development across Southern England and Wales underlines our vision to reach out to older people across the whole of the United Kingdom as Goldies UK.
“The first Bradford session started last month at Silsden Methodist Church and runs on the first Thursday of each month at 2pm.”

Golden-Oldies now runs its popular singing and activity sessions across Southern England and Wales. Those attending are older people who are socially isolated as well as people with learning difficulties and dementia. For many “Goldies” is their lifeline.

If you would like to help put songs and smiles on more faces, founder Grenville Jones would love to hear from you – please email [email protected]

ENDS
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Roy Prenton, Corporate Communications Consultant
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