'Young Persons with Dementia Choir' wow audience at anniversary concert

A packed house at the Llanyrafon Church hall in Cwmbran saw the 34-strong choir perform a selection from their varied repertoire of songs, from Welsh legend Tom Jones' pop-classic Delilah to show tunes like Any Dream Will Do and Singing in the Rain.

The group, composed of younger people with dementia and their carers, have come on leaps and bounds since their formation in early 2011, as Project Manager (and choir member) Anne Carpenter explains:

'Originally the choir began as a six week pilot project, culminating in a performance by the dozen or so members to a small invited audience of their entire repertoire of three songs. Now we're performing to over 200 people with professional standard equipment and receiving five minute standing ovations!'

A giant screen behind the choir showed photographs of choir members from childhood and significant events like weddings, through to the present day, celebrating the importance of memories and placing dementia awareness at the forefront of the event. 

As well as delighting the audience with their singing, members Linda Willis and Gail Morgan spoke about the positive impact singing in the choir had on them and the other members. A raffle and silent auction were also held to raise money for Alzheimer's Society to help support people with dementia and their carers.

Having improved musically so much in just one year, they are a great example of the power and benefit that music can have on people living with dementia. Anne is confident that thanks to the efforts of the team and the choir members,  the sky is now the limit:

'I have to thank our brilliant conductor, Ian Saunders, without whose inspiration and motivation we would never have achieved such success. We're receiving enquiries from all over South Wales, and we've already been booked to play the Blaenavon Heritage Music Festival in August on the same bill as Only Boys Aloud!'