Our Dementia Choir, founded by Vicky McClure for BBC documentary, continues to support people living with dementia across Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands though the power of music

A choir which harnessed the power of music and community to support people living with dementia has continued to go from strength to strength.

Nottinghamshire-based Our Dementia Choir began in 2018, when Vicky McClure formed a choir in her hometown of Nottingham for a BBC documentary which explored music’s power in combating dementia.

The choir became a charity around 18 months later, and under the charity management of Karen Bonser, wife of one of the founding members, Mick Bonser, has since attracted members from across the county and neighbouring counties, performed everywhere from care homes to the stage of Splendour and released its own single ‘What’s Your Story?’ recorded at the Abbey Road studios.

Karen said: “It’s about making their lives so much better in what could be a really dark place after they’ve been given a dementia diagnosis. A lot of people have said it has been life saving.

“We’ve created a family, everyone feels uplifted — there’s medical research being done that shows that the power of music helps people with dementia. They’re also networking with like-minded people, so you can share stories and help each other.

“We also have social events, so there’s lots of things going on as well as raising awareness across the country in terms of the power of music relating to dementia.”

The choir has grown so much in the past six years — from the original 20 choir members and their carers, to 35 and a “massive waiting list” — that it has had to move rehearsal venues twice, and now meets fortnightly at Portland College, Mansfield.

Sadly, in that time the choir has also lost 15 members.

Rehearsals are often visited by professionals such as the Alzheimers Society, dieticians and speech and language therapists who can help support choir members and their carers — and include a meal.

“We’re constantly performing in different venues, it could be a local care home, a local school, to the NTAs — 25,000 people,” Karen added.

“That was a bit surreal.”

Among the founding members was Chris Connell, of Farndon, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2015.

He continues to sing with the choir and attends with his wife Jane.

Chris, a former woodwork teacher who taught for 22 years at the Grove School, Balderton, was one of the members whose story was followed in the first BBC documentary, Our Dementia Choir.

Chris became involved in the choir when a friend of his daughter spotted a call-out for members at Nottingham Trent University’s campus, and passed the message on to his daughter.

Speaking at the choir’s first rehearsal back after Christmas, he said: “I was on the phone straight away.

“I just love this, its so good to be back after a few weeks off. It’s wonderful, [the musical director] Daniela always comes up with beautiful medleys.

“We’ve just been singing a Beatles medley, and I’ve always had a thing for the Beatles.”

Chris had always enjoyed singing, he explained, but had never done so professionally — but has now been on stage at Splendour with the choir.

“That was incredible, singing to 20,000 people,” he added.

Another of his highlights was singing at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, with 400 people “packed in tight” to listen.

He added: “Its a really good group to be part of… and the crew are the best people on the planet.”

Jane added: “It’s just lovely to see Chris so alive when he’s singing.

“Its a lovely group of people and it was really interesting to be part of the documentary.

“It really highlighted the need for support with dementia and the lack of a cure. It is the biggest killer — so many people are affected.”

Musical director Daniela Smith, who has worked with the choir for three years and shares the role with Mark De-Lisser, added: “[Music] makes a massive difference. It makes them come out of their shell, carers can see glimpses of them which they don’t often see.

“Sometimes people will be virtually non-verbal and then they get up and sing every word of a song.”

She explained the rehearsals also offer a chance for carers to have some respite and support.

“We do a complete mixture of songs,” she added.

“We do things which mean something to the choir, and brand new songs. They always rise to whatever is put in front of them.”

While big names including Splendour with Tom Grennan and the NTAs sprung to mind, Daniela explained that the smaller shows were just as good — as she could see how the performance affected the audience.

Daniela added: “Something special happens at every performance.”

Member Steve Ayling and his wife Jan, from Winthorpe, have been part of the choir since Steve’s diagnosis in late 2021.

Their story was featured in Vicky McClure’s follow-up documentary in 2022, Our Dementia Choir Sings Again, which Jan said was a “great opportunity to show the referral scheme”.

She said: “Steve was diagnosed in late 2021 and things happened very quickly after that. I thought, I had to find him something to do.

“We finished the referral and were at what I call the crossroads of our life. We found the choir and have loved it ever since.”

She explained the choir gave her the opportunity to see Steve happy, and using his brain to remember songs and described it as a “burst of normality, a bit like a light switches on”.

Steve added: “We’ve met a lovely family. It’s lovely, you’ve got to be here.

“Everyone in that room has a story and we will keep fighting, whatever it is.”

Steve had previously been a professional singer, who loved the stage and had been on TV when he was younger. His favourite experience with the choir was performing at the 02 in London for the NTAs.

Jan added: “I just want this world here to continue, and if anything get bigger and help more people. If it was taken away from us it would be disastrous.”

A recent addition to the choir, Barbara Jowett of East Bridgford, who attends with her daughter Lesley Wakefield, joined in October 2023.

Lesley said: “Mum loves singing anyway, she gets a lot of enjoyment out of it. She suffers with vascular dementia and singing is a nice way for her to get out.

“It gives a level of relief. She’s a big Elvis fan and it gets her talking to different people. It can be quite isolating being a dementia sufferer.”

They joined the choir after Lesley’s niece volunteered for the charity and signed Barbara up, and had previously seen the documentaries.

Karen added: “We’re a registered charity and we have our strategy and mission.

“Our job is to go out and raise awareness, look after the choir community and give them the best life we can while they’re living with dementia. Everyone wants a dementia choir — we’ve even had calls from Australia saying we need to replicate this. We’ve been on Gogglebox Australia as well as in England.

“We’ve just gone from strength from strength and we are in demand.”

The choir is entirely funded through fundraising and supported by volunteers.

It has a number of fundraising places open for Nottingham’s Robin Hood Half Marathon, where entrants can either pledge a minimum fundraising amount of £200 and get a free place or pay for their own place and select Our Dementia Choir as the chosen charity and raise what they can.

Half marathon fundraising, or any other donations, can be sent directly to the charity through it’s JustGiving page, which helps keep the choir singing and spreading awareness.

There’s plenty of other ways to support the choir — including sponsored rehearsals, hosting a tea party and sing-along, a donation to Mansfield rowers’ Oar Blimey trans Atlantic fundraiser, a sponsored skydive, or simply by becoming a volunteer.

Full details on how to take part and raise money for the choir can be found at www.ourdementiachoir.com, and the latest updates on the charity’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.

The choir’s next concert will be held at Portland College Theatre, with the Mansfield Rotary Club, on February 2, followed by a concert at Derby Theatre on February 20.