Residents at Southam's Royal British Legion care home treated to sing-along concert

Residents of the Royal British Legion care home in Southam were recently treated to a sing-along concert.

The event at Galanos House was organised by The Not Forgotten.

The Not Forgotten, a British Armed Forces charity which supports serving and ex-service men and women, launched their ‘Springtime Special’ series of free nationwide outdoor concerts to boost the morale of thousands of care home residents across the nation, who have been some of the hardest affected by loneliness and isolation during lockdown.

Abiding by current social distancing regulations in UK care homes, more 90 residents and staff gathered for an afternoon of music, song and dance as The Not Forgotten’s professional entertainment team brought a party atmosphere into their home.

Residents clapped their hands, tapped their feet and sang along to hits from the 60’s and 70’s ranging from ABBA to Elvis and the Beatles.

Denise Goodwin, well-being manager of Galanos House, said: “The residents and staff absolutely loved the concert.

"There was so much dancing and singing the whole home enjoyed it immensely and are asking when the next one will be.

"The residents cannot stop talking about it and will be talking about it for days to come.

"A big thank you to The Not Forgotten. You keep on making a difference.”

Commenting on the launch, Brigadier James Stopford, CBE, CEO of The Not Forgotten said: “We’re thrilled to embark on this morale boosting tour, building on the enormous success of

last year’s events which had such a positive impact on so many care home residents during the pandemic.

"According to Age UK there are 1.4m chronically lonely older people in England, and many more across the rest of the UK. Our Springtime Special tour will enable us to connect with many of these people, bringing joy and entertainment into their homes as sadly, extreme loneliness and isolation is set to endure throughout 2021.

"Music provides such a boost to individuals emotional wellbeing and over the years we have seen incredibly positive reactions from residents who delight in the entertainment and the connection of interacting, at a safe distance, of course, with our performers.

"One hundred years ago soprano Marta Cunningham founded The Not Forgotten based on the principles of providing entertainment and recreation to those who have worn their nation’s uniform and now suffer and we are delighted that to this day, a big part of our work continues to bring entertainment to those we support across the UK.”