Goldies Enjoy a Christmas Party!

Over 80 older people who  attend the Goldies singing and activity sessions in B&NeS enjoyed their annual Christmas party on Monday.

St Phillips and St James Church Hall in Odd Down hosted the party and the Goldies were delighted to be entertained by children from the nearby St Phillips Primary School.


Goldies was started in Bath seven years ago by music man Grenville Jones who took the first four sessions himself in and around Bath. Since that time the charity has grown, introducing new sessions

across Southern England and Wales. Over 90 venues now host daytime sessions led by over 30 dedicated session leaders.

Hundreds of people attend and Goldies has certainly become known as the smile charity.

There have been many new sessions introduced this year, locally in Oldfield Park, Larkhall and Odd Down and the charity has plans to increase to 130 session venues  by the end of next year. Other new sessions in  2014  have underlined the vision of founder Grenville Jones to become a UK wide charity in the years ahead, with launches in Essex Staffordshire, Gloucester and Hampshire.

The charities award-winning Schools intergenerational programme Time after Time  is also reaching across communities. It encourages schools to open their doors to older people who live in their local communities and take part in projects that bring together the young with the young at heart. Projects this year have been  based on the anniversary of the start of World War One.

The Christmas party on Monday gave the Goldies the chance to sing their favourite  50s songs to the St Phillips school children.

Grenville Jones said:

“It was a wonderful Christmas Cracker of a party with bucketful’s of smiles and laughter. I would like to thank the Quartet Trust and Mrs Margaret Roper for helping us to provide the community transport to bring the folk to the party. 

“At this time I would also like to pay tribute to Mrs Roper and her husband Brian who died earlier this year. Brian and Margaret Roper were at the heart of the community of Bath with their wonderful philanthropic  support of so many local organisations, including our Golden-Oldies charity, since we launched in 2007.

“Christmas is a time to look back and give thanks to those people who really do make a difference to the communities we live in. Mr Brian Roper was one of those special  people.”


Ends

Enquiries to Grenville on 07778 282934

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