​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
​
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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.

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