Singing with dementia

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Rye and District Dementia Action Alliance held its first fund raising concert at the Rye Creative Centre featuring the incredible Sunset Singers – all of whom are living with some form of dementia. What a showcase to tell the world you can live well with dementia and still contribute to the community.

Opening the concert was our dear friend the Town Cryer (Rex Swain) with one of his monologues. Liz George, our choir mistress, was brilliant putting the Sunset Singers through their paces as they sang unaccompanied, or with just a guitar playing softly in the background. Two songs were performed by men unaccompanied and without a microphone. Fun and laughter followed as Liz got the audience to join in the last numbers.

The Explorer Scouts served us with free tea and biscuits during the interval, and helped with the raffle. The second half saw Stephen Clift from Music Well with Simon Lee and Lizzie Stephens entertaining us, then all the instruments came out, drums, rattles and shakers etc and there were roars of laughter as we all tried to keep to the beat.

£195 was raised after expenses, which will go to further our work making Rye and District a dementia friendly community. Anyone who wishes to book a talk on Dementia Friends, or to find out more, should ring 07737 350896 or email rddaa@outlook.com. I would like to thank everyone that helped make the night a huge success.

Daliea Redman is Chair of the Dementia Action Alliance for Rye & District and Dementia champion

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