Greenfields and Golden-Oldies to make beautiful music together!

RESS RELEASE 
Greenfields and Golden-Oldies to make beautiful music together! 

A charity that brightens the lives of people through singing is working with Greenfields Community Housing to find people to form singing groups in the Braintree District.

 The Golden-Oldies Charity was started by West Country choir leader, Grenville Jones, six years ago. ‘Goldies’, as it has become fondly known, will open its 100th singing and activity session this year – all of which are based on popular music from the 1950s onwards. Grenville has been seen and heard on radio and TV across the world, and one of his choirs is the Bath Male Choir, which reached the final rounds of the BBC Last Choir Standing series. Sir Cliff Richard is the Patron of the charity.
 
Grenville was contacted by Greenfields earlier this year to see if the two organisations could work together to introduce new singing sessions in the Braintree District. Greenfields is now funding the project, and Golden-Oldies are looking for people to get involved in informal singing groups to entertain Greenfields’ older residents, amongst others.
 
Sandra Crosby, Housing Director at Greenfields, said: “When we met Grenville we were so impressed with his passion and enthusiasm for the charity. We shared the idea of starting Goldies with our tenants and they agreed to fund the project for the next twelve months.
Goldies and Greenfields are bound to be a winning duet!”
 
Grenville said: “If you share our passion to bring joy to the lives of lonely people through music then I would love to hear from you. You can either become a project leader, or simply be part of the singing group. Goldies is the smile charity and so we are looking for people who can help us to put smiles on the faces of older people in the Braintree District.” 
 
If you would like to know more about being involved with a singing group, or would like us to come and entertain you, please email Grenville at [email protected] or call 01761 472468.
 
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Enquiries welcomed by Amanda Bhavnani, Communications Advisor, Greenfields Community Housing on 01376 332473 or email[email protected]. In Amanda’s absence, contact Phil Adams on 01376 332450

Or

Grenville Jones, Goldies Founder and Chief Officer on 01761 472468 or email [email protected]

Notes for the editor

1. Greenfields has approx 8,000 tenanted homes and 450 leasehold properties across the Braintree District.
2. Greenfields has three main offices: Greenfields House in Braintree, Halstead Area Office and Witham Area Office.
3. Greenfields is a Community Gateway association, meaning that residents can be involved in making decisions about many aspects of the organisation that affect their homes and communities.
4. Greenfields is an Investors in People Champion organisation
5. Greenfields was named the 56th best not-for-profit company to work for in the UK by the Sunday Times in 2013

*Add facts about Golden Oldies*

About Golden-Oldies

The Golden-Oldies Charity started in Bath and North East Somerset in January 2008 with 4 daytime singing and activity sessions for those who are elderly and socially isolated in areas of high deprivation. Our partners were the local housing association and the 4 sessions took place in sheltered housing community rooms, they were all taken by the Golden-Oldies founder and choir leader Grenville Jones.

Since that time the charity has become fondly referred to as ‘Goldies’ and has grown to the point were it now runs 70 sessions in the South West of England and 15 sessions in South Wales (Goldies CYMRU). The sessions are taken by dedicated freelance leaders and hundreds of people look forward to attending each month.

Sir Cliff Richard is our supportive Patron.

Those attending the sessions are elderly vulnerable people, people with learning difficulties, Downs Syndrome, dementia and Alzheimer’s. Everyone is welcome and we ask those attending to make a minimum donation of £1 for each session. Our ethos is quite simple, it is to give those who are lonely a REASON to get out of their homes, to be with others, to sing, to stretch to smile and to have fun.

The sessions include activity songs specifically designed by a Trustee of the charity, Dr Afroditi Stathi, Lecturer in Exercise Psychology at the School for Health based at the University of Bath.


Amanda Bhavnani
Communications Advisor
Greenfields Community Housing
01376 332473
[email protected]

In Amanda’s absence, contact Phil Adams on 01376 332450